Love Takes Time
by SweetStories11
Summary: It's Ash and Mistys Wedding. From then on its about how Drew and May react to seeing each other there after 8 yrs. Now they are living in the same town old feelings resurface. But there are others to complicate things. MayxBrendanxDrewxOc
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Here it is! My new contest shipping fic! FINALLY! Lol and as a note for those who didn't like _Just Bite Me_… this is going to be nothing like that. It will be nice and not too "out there". More like _Blending Emotions_ if you read that, which you should! Lol Well anyways… for their ages… 

May/Drew/Brendan – 20

Ash- 23

Misty- 24

Brock- 25

Bella- 19

I think that's all you need to know for now. And that they haven't seen each other for eight years. I know it might not add up, but just stick with it lol

* * *

**Love Takes Time**

_Chapter 1_

The seaside ceremony couldn't have been more idyllic. White banners were streaming down from the altar and the sun was shining down on the happy couple. The lush waves of the sea were a wonderful mixture of blue and green, creating a brilliant cerulean color to match her eyes. Her orange hair was up in a bun, and her veal streamed down from it. Her dress was magnificent and the lucky groom couldn't be any luckier than at that moment. Ash Ketchum was finally going to marry Misty Waterflower.

"And may I know pronounce to you, Mr. And Mrs. Ketchum!"

The priest smiled happily as the two of them pulled apart from their kiss. Misty walked down the aisle arm in arm with Ash and everyone clapped loudly. May stood up along with the rest of them and beamed as she saw Misty smile at her. Everyone gathered around their limo and then, with Pikachu in the passenger seat by the driver. However he felt a bit odd about him. First of all his hair was blue… and he was wearing sunglasses… familiar sunglasses. Suddenly he lunged towards the mouse like pokemon.

"Pikachu! I've finally got you!"

But he was too quick, and the thunder shock stopped the ex-Team Rocket member right in his tracks. Brock ran up to the limo, and opened the driver's door. James fell out, and Brock fastened his own driver's hat to his head.

"Is it you again? When will you _ever_ give up?"

Brock kicked James aside, and then got into the limo.

"Sorry about that Pikachu. But we're all set to go now right?"

He heard giggles and fits of laughter from the back of the limo. Brock smiled to himself and Pikachu rubbed his head shyly. The key was turned in the ignition and after a few honks of the horn, the crowd spread away and let the limo threw. Everyone was waving mildly now as the limo disappeared from their views. May sighed as she let her hand fall down to her side. She found her car, like everyone else was doing, and got in. It looked like she had a reception party to go to.

..:-:..

If the wedding had been marvelously decorated, then the reception hall was beyond terrific. Balloons were placed at each table. Silk scarves were wrapped around everyone's chairs. There was even a fountain in the middle of the room. Lights dazzled the corners of the room and stretched across the ceiling in zigzag patters. It was all too much to take in, but she managed to find her table. Thankfully her table was with people she was already very familiar with. Professor Oak, Mrs. Ketchum, Professor Birch among others not there yet. She greeted them all with a smile. But Mrs. Ketchum was slightly confused.

"Uh, I'm sorry but I don't know who you are."

"Yes you do! It's me May! Remember my brother Max? He couldn't come today unfortunately."

"Oh! Of course! Silly me! It's just you look so grown up now, and so different! How old are you now?"

"Me? Oh I just turned twenty in April."

"My… time has flown by so fast! And you definitely look mature! Ash is already twenty-three. It's so hard to think that he's grown up so fast! My Ashy-boy!"

She started to cry into a handkerchief, and Professor Oak patted her back. Suddenly a young man in a tuxedo, accompanied by a woman dressed in the bride's gown came up behind them.

"Mom what are you saying? I'm not a little boy anymore!"

She looked up at her handsome son who now had hints of facial hair growing. Delia smiled warmly and then looked at Misty.

"I knew you two would marry each other eventually!"

Ash scratched the back of his head, and Misty shrugged her shoulders while the slightest shade of pink crept onto Misty's cheeks. The two of them sat down, and enjoyed their companies' conversation and presence.

"I didn't get to tell you this, but congratulations!"

"Thanks May! Oh! You must come with me!"

Misty took her by the arm and dragged May towards the dance floor. There was as stage and Misty was escorted on top of it. From his seat, Ash sat there admiring his bride.

"All right girls! Gather around! It's time to see which one of you will be the next lucky bride!"

May finally realized why Misty had dragged her all the way over here. She hesitantly stayed in the group of girls, and when Misty turned her back, May saw her beautiful bouquet of red and white roses fly through the air. Every girl reached her hands out towards the bouquet, but May just barely lifted hers. Within seconds, the flying bouquet flew right to her hands. The girls went mad with rage, but May was dragged out of them by a pair of strong hands. When she got out the mess, she saw that he was finally here. Brendan wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, but he was always working hard, and was really busy. She admired those qualities in him and that's what had attracted her the first time she met him. He was training his pokemon, and was doing everything that the pokemon itself was doing. She admired his talent and decided to meet him. And it just spiraled out from then on.

"You're finally here!"

"Yeah, I just got here, but it looks didn't miss the best part. So, you're going to be the new bride to be? Who's the lucky groom?"

May laughed as Brendan pulled her into a warm hug. She smiled as she felt his silver hairbrush against her cheek. He was actually in a suit, which surprised her, but he looked good as usual. May was still clutching the flowers when she saw the group at her table come up to them. Misty joined as well and was standing holding hands with Ash.

"Everyone I would like you to meet Brendan, my boyfriend."

He flashed them all a grin as if he was a famous celebrity.

"Nice to meet you! My name is…"

And everyone in the group introduced themselves. After a few seconds, they started to laugh and everyone seemed cheerful. That is all except one person standing at the doors.

Drew had gotten the invitation, but really didn't know if he should bother coming. He barely knew Ash at all. He was better friends with May, if it was called being friends at all. And he hadn't seen them in such a long time. It had been almost eight years since the last time he saw her. And now as his eyes scanned the scene he spotted a girl with her back turned towards him. Her brown hair fell loosely onto her shoulders. Her hair was slightly curled, giving it more of a swift bounce to it. Her shoulders were bare, but she was wearing an amazing soft dark red dress that swept down to the floor. She saw a man standing close to her, and then he saw him put his arm around her waist. They were talking and laughing with the Ketchums, and he had a strong feeling he knew who the girl was.

After what seemed like forever, the group stopped talking and separated from each other. The man let his arm slide away and the woman turned around. When he saw her gentle face, her chocolate eyes brimming with happiness, and her smile that was as it always was, he felt his stomach drop down to his feet. It was amazing how different she looked, yet how much of the same qualities she still possessed. Everything he saw in her was shocking towards him, especially since he hadn't seen her in so long. But he had to push those thoughts out of his mind.

They were coming towards him, but he thought he should be the one who bumped into them. So Drew pushed himself off of the wall and started to walk towards the couple.

"Well would you look who it is?"

May froze on the spot when she heard his voice. She knew it all too well, and it was still completely recognizable even though it was a lot deeper than she remembered. At once her mouth dropped open and she closed it back up again when she realized it. Her eyes scanned him like a computer and she couldn't register what she was seeing. Drew was so much taller now, as was she, but the height made him look more sophisticated, especially in the suit he was wearing. His green hair hadn't changed much, except that it looked much finer and softer than before. For a split second she wished she could run her hands through it, but she recoiled the though quickly and felt a tinge spread across her cheeks. She realized he wasn't wearing a tie, and instead let his shirt be unbuttoned just a bit. It made him look even more handsome. But what was she thinking? She was standing next to Brendan, her boyfriend! Finally, her eyes came to rest on his emerald eyes, filled with the same attitude he had eight years ago. His smirk matched it.

"Uh, May, who is this guy?"

She came back down to earth and laughed a bit.

"Oh! Brendan, this is Drew. Drew this is Brendan, my boyfriend."

It stung just a bit to hear it come out of her lovely mouth, but he showed no emotions, and continued to smirk. Drew handed out a hand towards the silver haired man, and he saw that he was well built, and about the same age as him.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Same here. Did you know that May and I were rivals?"

"No I didn't. So you were a coordinator as well?"

"Why don't you tell him how many times I beat you May?"

All of a sudden, all of that rival hatred came back to her, and she stepped up to the challenge quickly. She stepped forward one step and clenched her fists.

"You didn't beat me so much Drew! I beat you a couple of times!"

"Try none. Your girlfriend here wasn't such a hotshot against me back then. I bet nothing has changed."

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, knowing that it would get her even more worked up. May growled at him under her breath, and he knew it had worked. Brendan was still confused, but he realized that the two of them shouldn't be together any longer.

"Well nice meeting you. Let's go May."

The two of them stared blankly at each other then, as if suddenly snapped out of a spell. They chuckled a bit and smiled at each other.

"It was nice seeing you again Drew."

"Yeah yeah. Same here."

Brendan led May away through the doors and Drew turned around to gaze at her as she vanished from his sight. He didn't know why he had come here. He didn't fit in with anyone or anything. But for some reason, it felt like for those few moments he had. Maybe there was a reason why he had decided to be at the reception. But for now, he would go home, and see what the next days had in store for him, and for her as well. Time had sure flown by, and now that he saw her again, it seemed as if for once, time slowed down for a while.

* * *

**A/N:** I know this wasn't much for a first chapter, but I have difficulty with beginning a story. Hope it was good enough! Anyways, the next chapters will be much better! And I've planned for more than seven! This might be around eight or nine chapters! Yay! Leave a review if you want to! I'd be thrilled if you would!

Have a great day!

-Monika-


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

May got home and closed the door to her room. Brendan would stay in the living room and he turned it into his bedroom. He would always be asleep there and May would wake up to find him lying there with a bag of chips on his stomach. She had grown used to it though, and now when Brendan gave her a kiss goodnight, she really didn't mind it. May slipped into the bathtub where she had made herself a warm bubble bath. Those heels were such a pain, and now she just wanted to relax. The warmth spread through her aching muscles and she closed her eyes smiling. The bubbles had a rose scent and all of a sudden she envisioned a head of green hair before her eyes. May was so relaxed, that by now she didn't care if it was Drew she was thinking of.

Her eyes shot open and the image disappeared instantly. How could she have even been thinking about her old rival? She had a boyfriend, and she liked him a lot. Another bonus was that he liked her back. May frowned thinking of the time when she had been rejected. She blinked back a few drops of tears and then shook her head. That was all in the past, and she had a bright future ahead of her. Drew wasn't going to be around anyways, so why bother wasting any amount of time thinking about him?

She got out of the tub and wrapped herself in a freshly dried towel. Her bouncy hair fell to her shoulders like it always did now, and then she put on her pajamas. The bed was piled with pillows, and it was covered in thick blankets. She pulled back the covers, and then wrapped herself up in them. May smiled as she turned off the light, and fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by the comforts of her home.

..:-:..

_It was a late afternoon in the autumn, and the leaves were falling from the trees as the cool wind blew by. May had lost to Drew in the final battle for the championship, but she didn't care. She had discovered that she didn't want to hide her feelings anymore. There was a card she made, and in it she told him how she felt. Now she watched his shadow come closer to her hiding spot, and then she walked out of it to meet him face to face._

'_Hi Drew.'_

'_Oh… May.'_

'_Congratulations on winning the tournament.'_

'_Yeah… thanks.'_

'_So… I guess I won't see you for a while then?'_

'_I guess not.'_

_She looked hopeful for him to say something meaningful as a response, but he didn't. Her hopeful eyes began to shine with tears._

'_See ya.'_

_She chocked on her words and he left._

'_Bye… Drew.'_

_Her heart ached and she didn't want to see him leave, but she couldn't do anything about it. He must have not cared at all that she had sent him the card._

..:-:..

May woke up with her breath coming out in short gasps. She could feel her heart racing and the beads of sweat on her forehead. After a few seconds, she calmed down and went to go wash up. It had been like a nightmare revisiting her past hurt emotions, but she had to get over it. When she got into her workout clothes, she went downstairs, and sure enough, Brendan was sprawled out on the couch with a bag of chips on his stomach. She found it so funny to see him like that, and it was even cute. May quietly walked over to him, and kissed him sweetly. He squirmed and opened his eyes to see her standing above him. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he pulled her into a bear hug.

"You always smell so nice in the mornings. Why do you have to go?"

His voice was childish and she just laughed.

"You know I always do this, it's a part of my morning routine."

"Oh, all right. But be back soon. You owe me another kiss."

She rolled her eyes and stepped outside. It was the beginning of a beautiful day, and as she finished her delicious apple, she found herself surrounded by bird song chirps and the rustling leaves of the trees. May began to jog lightly towards the Garden Park, which was located in the middle of town. It was convenient for everyone who was busy and entranced in their jobs. Once May got there, she smiled and breathed in the fresh air. Everything seemed so lively and perfect, so she began her jog.

..:-:..

Drew had always tried to make time for some exercise, but he never really found the time. Now that he was going to be spending a lot of time in the city, he might as well have found a spot to do some running. He had been told of a great place called the Garden Park, and he was heading there right away.

As he turned the corner, he saw a girl jogging in front of him. Her brunette hair was a bit wavy and it was pulled back into a ponytail. For some reason, he felt he knew the girl. Drew found himself jogging up to her, and he smiled when he saw who it was.

"Why look who it is. I wouldn't have expected to see you here this morning."

May's eyes widened, and when she turned her head to her left, her worst fears were realized. Drew was jogging right beside her. Just that morning she had decided to forget about him, and now there he was, ready to annoy her again. His smirk was as brilliant as ever, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and huff.

"Really? Because out of everyone in this town, I was hoping that no body's name would be Drew. So it's quite shocking to see you here."

He made a face as if to acknowledge his defeat and her winning come back.

"I must say May, you've turned out to be very ferocious."

He laughed as he said this, and did his familiar swift movement of the flip of his hair. May was infuriated once again and she didn't know what compelled her to do it.

"Oh, so I'm ferocious now? How about I really prove how amazing I am?"

"Sure, you can _try._ But I don't think you will get anything accomplished."

"You're going to eat your words Drew. See that tree over in the distance? Let's see who can get to it first? All right?"

"Yeah yeah yeah. Quit talking and start doing something."

She growled at him, but kept her cool.

"Okay, on the count of…"

But it was too late. He was already off and running into the distance. She began to run after him, but it didn't help. By the time she was at the tree, Drew had had enough time to calm down his breathing. It looked as if he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"That… wasn't… fair!"

"Yes it was. All you wanted was to see who could get there first. Looks like I beat you again!"

While Drew was busy gloating, May wiped the sweat off of her forehead, and then something on her cheek. It was wet, and Drew assumed that it was only her perspiration. But then when he looked closely, he realized that May was clearly upset. His goading smirk vanished and he reached to comfort her.

"May… I'm sorry…"

Unfortunately he had apologized to the wind, because May had run off right after he had said her name. He watched her hair sway from side to side as she ran off through the park. Drew frowned and hit his forehead. Why did he have to be such a jerk all the time? And why was it that he always acted like one around her?

..:-:..

May finally found her secret hiding place in the park. It was under a bridge and there was a little stream that flowed underneath it. She would always go there if she had to think. Now was the perfect opportunity. Drew had been so rude towards her, and it reminded her so much of their rivalry days. There was no limit to his ego; it just kept inflating itself. That contest had been her idea, and she strongly believed she would have won, but once again Drew had to show her that he was better than her. But then again, he really must have been good in order to beat her. He must have ran somewhere regularly, just like her. She smiled suddenly at the thought of him doing that, but quickly rolled her eyes to contradict herself. Once again, she was interrupted by her conscience. _Forget about him._

It made so much sense, but he was popping up everywhere now. First she saw him at the wedding… he looked so heavenly… no, he didn't! She couldn't think that… and then she saw him in her dreams, and once again that day. May was so encompassed by her thoughts, that she didn't realize how much time she had spent under that bridge. Suddenly her stomach growled, and she realized that the sunlight wasn't as bright as it had been before. May was astounded at the fact that she had spent almost the entire day there. However, she did wake up late, so maybe that much time hadn't really elapsed.

When she got home, May found Brendan working out as usual. She smiled and when he saw her walk in the door, he ran up to her and gave her a huge hug.

"Brendan, I wasn't gone that long!"

"Yeah you were! I was so worried! Where on earth have you been?"

She put her arms around him and looked into his trustful, loving eyes.

"I told you, I went to the park for my daily jog. I stopped by the bridge and I guess I forgot to check what time it was."

"Well don't do it again… oh, and you still owe me that kiss."

May laughed and then he kissed her tenderly. At that moment, she felt all her worries wash away. Why did it matter if Drew was a jerk? She had an amazing boyfriend to come home to everyday. What could be better than that? Brendan pulled away when he heard her stomach rumble. She laughed shyly, and he just smiled.

"You know what I think? I think we are going to go out to eat tonight. My treat."

Maybe she spoke too soon. Things just kept getting better and better.

..:-:..

Drew walked in the door to his rented apartment with agitation. All day he had been thinking about what he had said to May. He felt absolutely awful about it, and he had no way to go find out where she was so he could apologize. When she heard the door slam shut, Bella anxiously looked out from the living room to see if it was him. Sure enough, Drew sluggishly walked in and let himself fall onto the couch.

"Oh Drew! I haven't seen you all day! You must be so tired! You look like it too!"

Bella was a bit shorter than Drew, and she had sleek black hair, which she washed and conditioned twice daily. Her face was like one of a doll's and everyone around her said she was the most beautiful girl they had ever seen. Her eyes were deep and they were an eerie blue, so eerie, that they pulled you in. Bella sat down next to him, and began to give him a shoulder rub. After a few winces of pain from Drew, she stopped and then turned his face towards hers. He looked into her eyes and found himself staring into a pit of shallow, with nothing at the bottom. For the first time, he was thinking of someone else when he looked at his girlfriend.

"Drew… you're not saying anything…"

He snapped out of his daydream and smiled awkwardly at her.

"Oh, sorry… I guess I'm just really tired, that's all."

She smiled and then giggled.

"Well, I know a way to make all of your worries go away."

In a second's time, he felt the pressure of her lips on his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but he didn't move. Drew just put his arms around her waist limply. After a minute or so, Bella realized that he wasn't kissing her back. She pulled away stiffly and for what seemed like the first time, Drew saw her mouth twitch angrily.

"What's wrong with you? You always _melt_ into my touch, but now it's like I'm not even here!"

He didn't respond to this, he just looked away, which infuriated her even more.

"Drew! I'm talking to you!"

"Well you know what? Maybe you should just shut it."

Bella gasped and then he rubbed his forehead.

"Oh… Bella, I'm sorry… really, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it. Can you just understand that I've had a rough day and that I want to be alone for a while?"

She stared at him blankly and then nodded without speaking.

"All right. If that's what you want."

He walked up to her and gave her a small peck on her cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah… I'll see you tomorrow Drew."

He closed the door gently and finally sighed with relief. A girl with brown bouncy hair kept coming into his thoughts, and he needed to figure out a way to stop it. Inside, he felt like he was tumbling down a path that would only lead him towards hurt and sorrow. Yet at the end of the tunnel, there was a light, and he knew that one day he could be rewarded. But first he needed to discover how to get there.

* * *

**A/N:** (gasp) _Drew has a girlfriend? I thought this was a contestshipping fic! _Dear readers, it is. So don't worry about it lol… for now, let's just say some things have to be sorted out lol

Also I wanted to point out that I was in a rush to get this up, so if there are any mistakes or typos, please point them out to me. I'm sorry if there are some.

Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I will get the next one out soon! Unfortunately, that might not be for a while, since Easter is coming up and my uncle is coming… but after that, I'll get to work on this! Thanks so much for reading!

-Monika-


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Please don't hate me! I've been really busy, and I really did try my best to work on this chapter this week… but it has turned out really bad, I know it… it's not long at all, but I did my best for the state of mind I was in lol so I hope you enjoy! I'm not sure when the next update will be… but it will be much better! I promise!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Everything was cloudy, but within the mess there were three spotlights. Drew found himself drawn closer. When he reached the lights, he found himself in front of three podiums. Suddenly he heard an announcer with a cheering crowd._

"_Ladies and gentlemen, our three finalists are now ready to be voted for! Here they are!"_

_Three girls came out and Drew recognized two of them. One was Bella, walking in a bright pink dress, smiling proudly and with a hint of arrogance as if she knew that she was going to win. The other girl was a scrawny, timid person he hadn't seen before. She had short black hair and she looked scared of everything around her. Finally he laid his eyes on the most beautiful of the three. Her soft wavy brown hair cupped her smiling face. May's radiant self-expression and kindness showed through everything. Her delicate and sophisticated lavender dress showed off her sleek figure. Drew's eyes shined with happiness as she turned her gaze to his, and she gave him a warm smile of her own._

"_Now, I'd like to present Lalia, our second runner up!"_

_The shy girl walked up onto the lowest step and the crowd applauded politely._

"_The runner up for Miss Perfection is…"_

_Bella was relaxed and wasn't moving. Drew wanted her to be third, but hopefully she'd be second so that May could be first._

"_Bella!"_

_Her shock didn't register in her mind. Suddenly, when she didn't move, someone took her hand and took her to the second podium. On May's face there was utter bliss as the news sank in._

"_I'm now proud to announce this year's Miss Perfection, May!"_

_The crowd cheered wildly as she walked to the podium. She received a tiara and then Drew was given a bouquet of flowers. He was pushed up to the podium and he gave the flowers to her._

"_Here we have Mr. And Miss Perfection!"_

_Drew became elated when May hopped down next to him and put her arm through his. The two walked around as a happy couple. After their walk, they went off stage and he finally spoke. _

"_I'm really happy you won May!"_

_Suddenly she frowned and sadness crept into her eyes. He wasn't sure why but then he saw Bella storming up to them._

"_What are you doing with her? What about me?"_

_Drew had enough when he saw the tears spring into May's eyes. He walked over to her and his arm around her shoulders._

"_Sorry Bella, but May is the winner. I have to be with her."_

_Then May turned to him and smiled joyously. She gave him a small peck on the lips and then hugged him, burying her head into his shoulders. Drew was amazed at how much he had been rocked to his core. Her presence next to him was like a refreshing breath of air. Bella was like dirty garbage that he didn't need. But then May was snatched from his arms and Bella gave him a laughing glare. She took May away from him and shoved her into the darkness. Drew ran after her, but Bella took him by the collar and looked at him deviously._

"_Drew… say you love me…"_

And he woke up.

Drew shook his head and woke up in a daze. Drew heard the radio blaring from the kitchen and Bella's voice singing along. If one thing was true, she did have a beautiful voice. Suddenly he heard a shrill and he winced. Maybe her voice wasn't perfect. Then his thoughts came back to May, perfection. He sighed heavily trying to get out of bed with a clear head. As he brushed his teeth and combed his hair, he wondered why he was thinking and even dreaming of May. She didn't mean anything to him, Bella did. He didn't even know that he was lying to himself.

Bella stopped singing when she saw him come into the room. Her face brightened with her biggest smile and she wrapped her arms around him, giving him a wonderful morning kiss.

"Good morning Drew! I hope you don't mind. I let myself in. I just wanted to see you again before you went off somewhere."

"That's nice of you."

She observed how strangely he was acting. His eyes seemed far away and she had to snap her fingers to get his attention again.

"Drew, you there?"

He turned his head sharply and smiled.

"Of course I am."

Drew kissed her lightly and when he pulled away, she seemed happy. She didn't suspect a thing.

"You know what I get to do today?"

He remembered something about a new job offer she had gotten.

"I'm going to go be a head of the Miss Perfection contest!"

Drew choked on his milk and Bella pat him on the back. He couldn't believe that his dream was coming true.

"Drew, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. But what are you doing in it?"

"Well I'm the head so I'm in charge of all the girls."

A bit was relieved inside of him; his dream was not really coming true.

"When do you have to go there?"

"Oh! I have to go right away! I'll be back later. We'll do something all right?"

Drew smiled at her enthusiasm. She wasn't that bad really. She was an active, fun loving girl.

"Sure, we will do something I guess."

"All right then."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left through the door. Drew scratched his head. He didn't know what to do at that moment. Then May popped into his head again, and an idea came to his mind. His backpack was on the couch and he pulled out two poke balls. He hadn't done it in a while, and now was a good of a time as ever.

..:-:..

May crossed the park smiling to herself. She was in a much better mood than the day before. The sun was shinning brilliantly, the sky was dotted with fluffy clouds and there was a slight breeze flowing by. Around the next corner, she saw her stop. There was a sign up above the shop and it read, "Day Care Center."

After a few years of coordinating, she got bored with all of the contests. Her luck was running out on her, and then one day she came across a pokemon day care center. There she found her true calling, helping raise pokemon. She didn't really like battling, but all of the new pokemon were so cute and adorable. It was the best job she could ask for. When she walked in, she realized that Mrs. Magushi, the elderly woman who helped out sometimes, was most likely in the back. The counter wasn't occupied, so she decided to open the center up, by flipping the sign to 'Open'.

She smiled happily and set herself to work. Nothing much had changed, except that it was a bit dusty here and there. May swept the tables clean and then she heard the doorbell ring. A man walked into the Day Care Center and she rushed behind the counter.

"Welcome! How may I help you today?"

"I'm here to pick up Chicko."

"Oh yes! She's been doing just fine. Let me go get her for you!"

May stepped through a door and found herself behind the day care. There were two different houses. One had a somewhat cold, watery climate, and the other one was a greenhouse with lush plants and fine cut grass. Trees sprang upwards through the roof, and that was the house she stepped into. Right near the entrance was Chicko, lying about doing not much. When she saw May, she smiled and jumped up into her arms. As May came back into the main house with Chicko in her arms, the owner smiled joyously at how much better his friend looked.

"Chicko, you look better than I've ever seen you! Thank you so much for taking care of her! You guys really are the experts! And it's so much better than a regular center. The environment is so much more realistic!"

"Well here, our number one concern is helping out those who need help."

The man waved and walked out. May hummed to herself, a feeling of fulfillment flowing through her fingers. She went into the other house in the back and made sure the water was clean and that everyone was doing all right. At about noon, her boss came in and she piped up cheerfully.

"Hello Boss!"

"Good afternoon May. Has anyone stopped by?"

"Yes, the owner of Chicko picked her up, no one else though. Is there anything I could do for you?"

"No, that's really all right. I've been thinking though, you have been working really hard. Why don't you go take a break? You deserve it."

"Oh thank you! I'll be back shortly!"

She walked out and went to the nearest hot dog stand.

..:-:..

Drew was done training and now he was walking around looking for a job. He needed money and there wasn't anything he was good at doing. Suddenly his stomach growled and he decided to scrounge up some money to get food. In the distance he saw a hot dog stand and he became thankful. But as he neared it, his hunger vanished and everything around him vanished. The only thought going through his mind was that he was dreaming again. May was standing there, more radiant than ever.

"Thank you so much! Have a great day!"

She took the hot dog and started to go back towards the day care center. Drew was immobile because of the shock flowing through his body. When his eyes lost sight of her, he immediately felt his legs again, and he started to go in her direction. At the sight of the center, he blinked, not understanding why she went in there. May finished her food and then turned around to check the Feeding Schedule. She heard the doorbell ring again, but she didn't turn around.

"Come in please! I'll be with you in just a minute!"

"Oh really, you will?"

His sneering voice made her hair stand on ends, and she stared at the bulletin board blankly. How was it that she was always running into him? May turned around, and sure enough, Drew was standing right in front of the desk, flipping his green hair.

"Are you following me or something?"

The question was ironic, but Drew had to get her off his case.

"You're kidding me right? Why would I follow you out of all the people in this world? It just so happens I came here for an obvious reason."

She stared at him questionably.

"Well what is it then?"

"I'm dropping off one of my pokemon."

May managed a small smile and a chuckle.

"Okay then, who is it?"

"I'm thinking about giving my Roselia a break. I've heard you have a great greenhouse."

She was surprised. It didn't occur to her that he was still training with Roselia. Furthermore, she was actually starting to have a normal conversation with him, which almost had never occurred.

"Yeah, we do. So where is she?"

"Oh right."

He pulled out a poke ball and gave it to May. She took it from him and her fingers brushed his hand for a quick moment. They looked at each other, but May quickly chuckled and opened up the poke ball.

"Let's see you Roselia!"

She came out and May gasped. Her vivacious green color was dull and her petals looked dried up.

"Drew! What on earth did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything! We were training this morning and well, I guess it might have been a bit too hot out…"

"But look at her! She is completely worn out!"

May carefully picked Roselia up and ruffled her head, being sure not to prick herself. Automatically, Roselia smiled and cuddled up to May. Drew was taken aback at how comfortable Roselia was with May.

"How did you do that?"

His expression was of blank shock, and for once he didn't look cocky.

"Oh you mean make her relaxed? It's a technique I learned. Some pokemon have specific ones though, for example Roselia likes to be ruffled on the head. You didn't know?"

Drew rolled his eyes and then smiled, genuinely.

"All right then, I'll take her out back."

She was about to go out the door when she felt a hand on her arm.

"Can I come?"

May blinked, surprised at his kind gesture. He was still smiling, but in that smile was something different from what she remembered. She nodded and took him out back into the greenhouse. Roselia immediately jumped out of May's arms and into a rosebush. They both smiled as they watched Roselia start to feel better right away.

"Do you want to see the rest of the greenhouse?"

"Okay."

May found a path and the two of them walked next to each other. At one point, the path narrowed and soon enough there wasn't even an inch in between them. May blushed and Drew chuckled, but he let her go first. She accepted the nice offer and guided him towards the meeting place between the two houses. Drew's jaw dropped when he saw the sight before him. There were trees bowing over a clear pond of water, where there was a little waterfall flowing from the water house. Flowers dotted the background and a few pokemon were grazing along the side of the pond. May saw the amusement in his face and a thought came to her.

Suddenly, Drew felt a sprinkle of water spray at his face. May stood there trying not to laugh. Drew knew all too well it had been her idea, and soon enough she felt drops of water on her face as well.

"What's the big idea Drew?"

"What did _I_ do?"

She smiled coyly and he laughed. The two of them walked out of the greenhouse, happier than before.

"So what did you think?"

"I thought it was great. You must like your job…"

"Yes I do, it was a nice change…"

He stared at her blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, well I've stopped coordinating."

"You are serious? Well it's not that hard to believe. I knew after a while you would have given up."

May punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"For your information, I didn't _give up_. I just found my calling. What about you?"

"Oh… I'm still coordinating…."

"Then how do you get your money?"

He stumbled while they walked back into the main center.

"I … uh… don'thaveajob.."

"What? I didn't hear you."

"I don't have a job, okay?"

She giggled but he glared at her.

"Okay okay, I'll pay for the ice cream."

Drew looked at her with confusion in his eyes.

"Don't you want to go eat something? Your stomach can't be any louder you know."

Just then, Drew realized his stomach was growling. He had no other choice than to nod shamefully. The two of them walked out and walked down the street to an ice cream stand.

"Two vanilla cones please."

She paid, and then handed Drew his cone. He began to gobble it down. May stopped eating, and stared at him with amusement. Once he realized this, he stopped as well.

"What are you looking at?"

She walked up to him smiling, and suddenly he felt really small inside. May raised her hand and reached towards his face. Before he could react, she wiped away at his cheeks with a napkin.

"Here you go Drew, you might need some more."

His cheeks grew hot, and he accepted it.

"Thanks."

Suddenly, a child ran in between them and May lost her balance. She slipped and her ice cream cone fell onto her face. Her whole nose was covered in cold ice cream and Drew felt much better. He took the napkins that she gave him, and cleaned her face for her. They were inches away from each other and May smiled softly at him. In the sunlight, his face seemed hidden by the shadows cast by his hair. Drew seemed mysterious and handsome at that moment, and so she had to look away to hide the color in her cheeks.

"Thanks Drew."

All of a sudden, the quiet, peaceful moment was interrupted by a loud yell.

"I quit! I can't do anything right!"

The guy who had been selling the ice cream ran out with the boss in a state of hysteria.

"Wait! Come back!"

Suddenly, May had an idea.

"Hey! I know where you can get a replacement!"

The boss seemed relieved.

"Where?"

"Right here!"

Drew's eyes widened as she pushed him towards the boss.

"You're hired!"

The boss put a hat on Drew's green hair and suddenly he heard May while she was running off.

"I have to go! I'll see you later Drew!"

He smiled as he watched her figure disappear around the corner.

"Hey lover boy! Get back to work!"

Drew sighed and stood behind the cart. The thought of seeing her again was the most comforting feeling in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** OMG! I'm so so sorry for the longest delay ever! It's been more than a month, hasn't it? Well, all I can say is that school has kept me occupied to the brim, and I've finally had the time to write this! I hope this chapter makes up for the absence! I'll try to update next weekend too… but that might not happen, so expect the next one after June 7. School's almost done for me! Yay! Lol but now onto more important things…

**Chapter 4**

Everything was nice and comfortable. Warmth spread itself through May's body as she curled up in her bed. The first rays of sunlight shined through her window and streaked across her face. She yawned, and then heard her bedroom door creak open.

"Rise and shine!"

May rolled her eyes after hearing Brendan's perky voice. He tugged on her blanket covers but she pulled them in the opposite direction.

"Brendan! Stop it! I want to … sleeeeep…"

Another yawn distracted her, and this time Brendan won the fight. May sat up reluctantly, and when she rubbed her eyes, she woke up right away. Her nostrils filled with the smell of bacon and eggs. Brendan put the tray of food above her lap and she smiled brightly.

"I thought you might want to sleep in this morning, so I brought you breakfast!"

His silver hair was a bit messy but he had taken his shower and gotten dressed already. Brendan had always been a morning person, and right now she loved him for it.

"Thank you so much!"

They kissed briefly, but before she could take a bite of her breakfast, Brendan started to head out of the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Oh! I've got a busy day at the gym today. I have to get there early if I want to beat the lines."

With that he was out the door, and May rolled her eyes again. Sometimes he could be the sweetest guy on the planet, and other times he was so egotistical and filled to the brim with testosterone. She let it slide, and instead focused on the wonderful food in front of her. May finished it soon enough, and then she realized what time it was. Putting the tray aside, she got out of bed, and got ready for work. The birds were singing outside and she smiled to herself. Life was always so good for her, especially lately. As she went out the door, she started to walk down the busy streets and towards the daycare.

When she entered, May was immediately greeted by her favorite pokemon. She jumped up into May's arms and licked her face. It was a new baby pokemon called Hopril, which was a soft shade of light blue, with its body covered in short fur. May liked her so much because she was always hopping around and she was always so perky, which brought a smile to her face.

"It's nice to see you too Hopril!"

She jumped back down to the ground and went through the flap in the back door. Most likely she was headed for one of the greenhouses. May sighed happily and turned the closed sign to 'open'. There were many little tasks to do, like sweeping the floor, dusting the desks, and answering calls. After she was done with these tedious tasks, she was finally going to go do her favorite thing, which was to check up and play with the pokemon in the greenhouses, but just as she was going to go out the back door, she heard the doorbell ring. May turned around and saw a pretty girl, around the same age as herself, walk through the door. She put on a cheerful smile and walked to her spot behind the main desk.

"Hi, my name's May! Welcome to the daycare center! How may I help you?"

"Oh, thank you. My name is Bella."

May nodded and watched her as she looked around, squinting her eyes and sighing as she did. She was definitely gorgeous. Bella's skin was perfectly smooth, and her hair was slightly curled, making it bounce whenever she moved her head. May envied her skinny figure, but then shook her head. Bella was wearing a tight mini skirt, and an even tighter hot orange halter-top. There was nothing to be envious of; she looked horrible, and May realized how thankful she was that she accepted herself for who she was.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Bella jumped suddenly, forgetting that May was there.

"…Well, yes you can. I wanted to know, is there anyway I could borrow some pokemon for a contest the city is hosting? I'm in charge and…"

May's eyes glinted with joy at hearing the word contest.

"Oh! What contest is it? Is it a coordinator contest?"

Even though she had given it up, she still always went to whatever contest she could attend. Bella seemed annoyed at the interruption, but took the opportunity to publicize the contest.

"No it's not. It's the Miss Perfection Contest! We are going to crown one lucky girl "Miss Perfection" and we need pokemon for the ceremonies and the contest itself. So? What do you think?"

May's smile turned into a frown. Why wasn't this girl in the contest, she was obviously the perfect person for it. She was caught up in her own thoughts, when she was literally snapped back by Bella.

"Well? I don't have all day you know!"

This girl was really bossy, and speaking of bossy, just then Mr. Maguchi came in from the back door.

"I'm sorry Miss. The daycare only accepts pokemon; it doesn't give out people's pokemon for some other purpose. I'm sorry; you will have to go somewhere else."

Bella rolled her eyes and put her hand through her hair.

"Well this has been a complete waste of my time! I'm sorry I ever thought of coming in here. Looks like the service is so ungrateful and not willing to compromise!"

May was now angry and couldn't help but lash out at her.

"Ungrateful? You are the one that is ungrateful! I've never seen such a brat before! You think you are all that! Have you ever thought of what using pokemon for your own needs is? It's immoral and cruel! Pokemon are not servants! They are our friends, and I don't want you in here any longer, so get out!"

Mr. Maguchi and Bella both dropped their jaws, and Bella's eyes popped out.

"What? What did you just say? Oh when Drew hears about this… I swear you are going to get fired for what you said!"

Everything was a bit hazy after she heard his name come out of her mouth. How on earth did she know Drew? Mr. Maguchi saw Bella coming towards May with a clenched fist, and then he got in between the two.

"All right! Settle down! This is not a place for immature arguments! This is a pokemon daycare center, and I as the proprietor of this establishment, wish that you leave at once for causing such a disturbance!"

Bella stepped back and straightened her outfit, what little of it that she had.

"Fine! I don't need to waste anymore time here!"

But as she turned around, she stopped dead in her tracks.

..:-:..

Drew got up and ruffled his hair. The time on the alarm clock was noon exactly, and his eyes widened. How was it that he had slept for so long? He didn't know, but he guessed that Bella didn't feel like waking him up that morning. Then Drew realized he actually had a place to be.

"Oh no! The ice cream cart! I'm late!"

He quickly got dressed and then put the stupid apron on. Reluctantly, he found the white hat that went along with the outfit, and then he ran out the door. Drew ran all the way there. Being fired the first day on the job was not something he wanted to happen. When he finally got there, he was panting and out of breath.

"I'm so sorry boss! It… won't happen again!"

Drew stood upright, looking as best and as awake as he could. His boss was about ready to yell at him, when he saw that Drew was panting heavily.

"I see you must have ran all the way here?"

"Yes sir."

"Well then… I guess that makes up for your tardiness. All right, I'll let it slide this time, but never again! I can easily get someone else to do the job!"

Drew nodded his head vigorously, and then the boss smiled at him.

"Oh by the way, a young pretty girl stopped by. She told me to give this to you."

The boss handed him a small piece of paper and then he chuckled as he nudged Drew in the ribs. Drew chuckled slightly along with him, but he waited until he was gone to read it. The note must have been from Bella… but then it occurred to him that Bella didn't know where his job was… so how could she have found out? When he opened the note up, he smiled.

'_Drew-_

_Roselia is doing just fine, but if you want to stop by to check up on her yourself, you are welcome to! And I guess I could stand you for a couple of minutes anyways. See you soon!_

_-May'_

Drew laughed when he saw the smiley face that she had written on the note. It was a face with a wink and a tongue sticking out. He put the note in his pocket and then a little boy with blond hair came up to him.

"Can I get the double triple chocolate vanilla swirl scoop? Please?"

"Sure… do you have money?"

The little boy showed him the money, and then Drew nodded and smiled slightly.

"All right… one double triple chocolate vanilla swirl scoop coming up!"

The boy took the ice cream cone and thanked him with a huge smile. Drew worked diligently for an hour and then his boss came back.

"Hey boss, can I take a break?"

"I guess, why not? Be back in twenty minutes!"

"Oh really? Thanks!"

Drew took of his hat and apron and handed them to his boss. He watched Drew run across the street and turn around the corner. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going off to see that pretty girl who had stopped by earlier. He smiled to himself; they made a cute couple, didn't they?

Drew was excited to see May again. He hadn't even thought about Bella after he read the note, and finally after a minute or two, he found the daycare center. As he walked in through the door smiling, it faded instantly as his eyes found Bella staring right at him with her mouth dropped open. May couldn't believe that right after she had mentioned him, he was standing right in front of her. Then she remembered the note she had dropped off at the ice cream cart with the boss. Maybe she should have waited until later, but how could she have known that Bella would have come as well?

"Drew? What are you doing here?"

His eyes darted towards May, who was standing behind the desk with a scared smile on her face. Drew quickly looked back at Bella, who was now a foot in front of him. She saw his eyes dart towards the girl behind the counter, and then she flailed her head at May, and then back at Drew.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?"

"..Um.. well you see Bella…"

"Oh! OH! Don't even tell me! You have a thing for this girl don't you? DON'T YOU?"

"WHAT?"

Drew looked at his girlfriend disbelievingly and he saw angry tears start to form in her eyes. May walked up to them and shook Bella's shoulder slightly, but she pushed May away.

"Get away from me! I hate you both!"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about! Drew just left his Roselia here, and I'm looking after it!"

May's confidence helped Drew out as well.

"That's exactly why I'm here, I'm here to check up on Roselia!"

Bella looked from May to Drew, and back to May again with squinted eyes, she was no longer crying, but her eyes were glazed. Mr. Maguchi shook his head and decided to go back to the greenhouses.

"Bella… if it makes you feel any better, I have a boyfriend. His name is Brendan."

Suddenly Drew looked at May, who was trying to console his girlfriend. For some odd reason, he had forgotten that she did in fact have a boyfriend. But then again, he also forgot that he should be thinking about his _girlfriend_ Bella, not his _friend_, May.

"Oh… you do?"

"Yes, I do."

All of a sudden, Bella smiled cheerfully and then put her arms around Drew and hugged him. May looked away, trying to push away that awkward feeling in her stomach.

"Drew, I'm so sorry. I should have trusted you."

"It's all right."

She kissed him on the cheek and then rubbed her eyes, blinking awake her face.

"Okay, well I have to go! I'm late for the meeting with the lovely contestants. Oh, and it was nice to meet you May!"

Bella went out the door and with it finally went the tension in the room. Drew rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, while May went back to her original place behind the counter. She was a bit stiff for a moment. Finding out that Drew had a girlfriend was a bit strange, like as if finding out her brother wanted to suddenly become a painter. It was so unusual that May had to adjust to the new knowledge. Drew walked up to the counter while May looked something up on the computer.

"So I guess you've met my girlfriend…"

"Yes… she's quite something… Bella she is…"

"Look May, I'm sorry if she acted a bit strongly and said a few harsh words to you… she can be like that sometimes, but she's really nice if you get to know her."

She finally looked up from the screen and her gaze met his emerald eyes. May sighed, letting go of all those negative feelings she had been harboring since she met Bella.

"Oh, I'm sure she is," May said sincerely.

"Hey, can we go check up on Roselia?"

"Of course! Isn't that why you came here in the first place?"

Her warm chocolate eyes brimmed with eagerness, and he hesitated for a moment. Was it the _only_ reason he had come?

"…yes… I guess it is. But seeing my friend is another reason you know."

May raised her eyebrows curiously.

"So we're friends then?"

"I think so, I mean we're not rivals anymore right?"

"Right."

At that moment, May came to the conclusion that he had finally grown up a bit, and she was glad he had.

"May?"

"Huh? Oh right! Let's go then!"

They walked through the back door like they had the day before, and they went into the greenhouse that was filled with a small forest.

"Roselia? Roselia?"

Drew saw her almost immediately, and she hopped over to Drew's legs. He picked her up, and then petted her head. May looked on approvingly and then all of a sudden, Roselia reached her arms out towards May. She wasn't sure why she did it, but Drew knew. He gave May Roselia, and then she realized that Roselia liked her too. It made May feel really good about herself, but her fun ended when Drew hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Oh! I completely forgot that I have to get back to work!"

"Okay, well then I guess you have to go right?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Roselia looks like she's in good hands though!"

They smiled cheerfully as they made their way back to the main house.

"Hey Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'll stop by for some ice cream on the way home after work. You'll be there?"

Drew smiled happily at her and nodded.

"Sure will. See you then."

"See you then!"

She watched him leave and she couldn't stop staring at him until he vanished from her view. May came out of her trance, and then she muttered to herself.

"Get a grip May. Like you said, you have a boyfriend already. Okay then, let's get back to work! Today we are following May on an expedition to the water greenhouse, or as she likes to call it, the bluehouse!"

Drew did a double take, and he watched May get herself excited as she left through the back door again. He laughed to himself. She hadn't changed a bit.

..:-:..

It was late in the afternoon; the sun was already making its long shadows on the world, but for two people it was the perfect time to just relax. May and Drew decided to take another walk into the park that was located in the middle of the bustling city. They saw mothers ushering their little ones to go home for dinner. However Drew and May had eaten already and had talked for a while now. They caught up on old times, on how their lives had changed, and even about their loved ones. But that wasn't the topic of conversation at that moment. The two of them had wound up on the same bridge as last time, and in a calm still silence, they watched the water underneath them flow gracefully underneath the bridge. The wind hushed their spirits, while the leaves in the trees rustled gently. May's voice shivered slightly as she whispered to Drew.

"Do you see it? The water… it's so peaceful…"

Drew picked his head up, and his gaze drifted from the water to her glowing face. The sunset cast a beautiful array of colors on her face. He was somewhat mesmerized by her appearance for a minute.

"Yes… it is definitely peaceful…"

May hadn't looked up and she continued to stare down at the water.

"Sometimes I wish I could be like that… peaceful and graceful. I could flow through the world, or just even through this park, and I would feel like I was the only person that mattered. The wind would pick me up off my feet, and it wouldn't matter where it would take me."

Her soft brown hair lifted slightly as the breeze swept by. Drew's mouth somewhat parted, and he couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not, because he felt like his feet weren't really on the bridge.

"May… that was amazing…"

Abruptly, she looked away from the water and looked him straight in the eye. Her comforting smile spread across her face.

"I know, isn't it a wonderful dream?"

"No, I mean, as I listened to you speak, it felt like I was in your dream; it felt real to me."

For the first time in her life, what he was saying was serious. It wasn't a joke, he wasn't making fun of her, and it hit her suddenly, that he actually listened to what she had said. Her smile faded slowly, and her mouth was slightly agape. She shivered suddenly, and she had an awkward feeling crawl up her back. May shook her head and smiled again. She had to make this strange occurrence change; it was getting a bit exhilarating, the feeling she felt deep down inside of her. They were friends, and to make sure it stayed that way, May suddenly started to walk off the bridge.

"It's getting late Drew. I think we should go home, you know, get some sleep and all. Tomorrow's another day!"

Just as she was going to start down the bridge, her eyes widened and she began to fall forward. May was jerked upwards again, and she felt two arms around her torso. Drew turned her around, and May's smile was gone again. Her face was within inches of Drew's, and she was afraid; she was afraid of being close to him, because her heart was beginning to race wildly. The sunlight played onto the setting, casting faint orange glows onto the water. Drew's thoughts were racing, and he had realized that so was his heart. May's eyes displayed so much worry, and then he realized that he was beginning to worry too. So he did what he would usually do. He stood her up and flipped his hair, letting go of her.

"Geez May, you can't even walk right?"

She laughed, for the first time not caring at all that he was making fun of her; she was glad he did it, because all of that build up seemed to disappear.

"So, you were saying we should go home? I think that's a good idea too."

May nodded and the two of them made their way down the bridge, without any more accidents. They parted ways, and made their way home separately. When May stepped inside her apartment, she immediately put her hands over her ears. The t.v. was blaring and she heard one particular scream through it all.

"Brendan! Turn it down!"

He looked up from the couch and saw her standing there, annoyed to the brink of her capacity.

"Oh! May! You're home."

He took the remote and turned the volume lower. As May put her things down, she saw that he was watching pokemon wrestling. She rolled her eyes as Brendan walked up to her and gave her a welcome kiss. Even though she was annoyed with him, she gladly wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. Her conscience was now guilt free, knowing that she came home to Brendan, her boyfriend, and that she hadn't done something stupid on that bridge. They pulled apart and Brendan smiled handsomely.

"So, what did you do all day?"

"Well I started out in the gym, and then I went to this competition, and then I decided to participate!"

May chuckled to herself. She had heard this a million times before.

"And guess who won? Me! I did baby! Are you proud of your man?"

This time she laughed along with him and she gave him a kiss.

"Of course I am!"

"Good!"

There was a small cheer from the quiet t.v. Suddenly Brendan dashed back to the couch and focused his attention on the match.

"I'm going to turn in for tonight, all right?"

"Huh…yeah yeah…goodnight babe."

"Goodnight Brendan…"

She watched him pout as all of a sudden the match turned the other way around. May smiled gently while watching him. She was glad to be home.

..:-:..

"I'm home."

Bella jumped up excitedly and flung her arms around him.

"I missed you Drew!"

"Me too."

He was tired and exhausted. The day had proved to be one of transformation for him, especially the end of it. Drew was still thinking about May's words and how it had affected him when she said it. But as he looked into Bella's eyes, he realized that he was Bella's boyfriend, and he couldn't hold May like he was holding her. He smiled at her, with a hidden pain behind it.

"So what did you do? You've been gone a while; dinner is cold."

"Oh, I'm sorry hun, but I didn't get to tell you. You remember May?"

"Yes…"

"Well she's an old friend of mine really, from way back when I was a kid."

She seemed somewhat disappointed to hear this news. "Oh…"

"Yeah, so I had dinner with her, nothing big just a hot dog. We talked about what we've been doing and all. Then she said that Brendan was waiting for her, and I said that you were waiting for me, so we said goodbye."

Drew added that last part to make sure that she was suspicious of anything, and it looked like it worked, because she started to smile again.

"Okay then, I guess I'll just put your dinner into the fridge. You should get some rest Drew, you looked bushed."

"Yeah… I am; it's been a long day."

He walked into his room, and shut the door. Drew fell onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. There were no longer traces of sunlight; instead darkness crept silently through his window. He turned his head to look out at the millions of stars that dotted the sky. Funny, it reminded him of that sweet brunette that wished she could be as graceful as the water that flowed down the river. If only he could tell her she was already as beautiful as all the stars in the sky… if only…


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Just to make it clear… Drew might seem OOC because he's not teasing May anymore, but I'd like to remind you all that they are a lot older and more mature now… I will probably have some fun "fights" between the two of them later but for now… here's the next update! It took me forever, but I got it done :D

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Thunder rolled in the distance and Drew lifted his head up slowly from his pillow. The sky was a dirty gray and there was no sunlight anywhere. Usually he looked forward to a sunny morning, but that day his mind was everywhere, and he was lifeless. If it rained, he wouldn't have to go to work, which he didn't mind. As though answering his thoughts, there was another boom of thunder, this time louder and accompanied by a sheet of pounding rain. Drew sighed and dragged himself into the kitchen for breakfast. Just as he was going to reach for the door of the refrigerator, he jumped. Bella popped up out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Good morning Dooey!"

He scrunched up his face at the sound of the horrible nickname. Her speech was low and slurred like a baby's.

"_Dooey?_ You never called me that before."

Bella's ecstatic smile turned into an immediate frown.

"What? You don't like me calling you that? But I made it up just for you."

Drew took out the gallon of milk and poured himself a glass of it.

"Maybe you didn't know, but my name is Drew. D-R-E-W, Drew. Not Dooey, all right?"

Her eyes swelled up as she watched him gulf down the glass of milk. After he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, she suddenly let out her anger.

"That was so mean of you… _Drew_!"

He turned around, flipped his hair, and then cocked his head to the side.

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for one of your high maintenance talks right now, okay? I'm not going to work today, so you might as well just go. I need some time for myself."

Drew wasn't being a jerk on purpose; it just came out that way. Bella was furious with Drew and what he had said sparked a deep hatred for him at the moment.

"Oh yeah? Well it looks like you are going to be stuck with me, because I have the day off too!"

"_What?"_

"That's right! The people on the committee told me I was doing such a fantastic job that they gave me the day off!"

Drew rolled his eyes and went to go sit on the couch as he ruffled his hair. The rain was pounding on the roof and for a minute, the constant buzz calmed his nerves, but then her voice interrupted his peace again. It was no longer melodious, but sharp and edgy.

"Don't you even care about the recognition that I got?"

She sat next to him but he turned on her with rage.

"Recognition? What for? All you do is ask superficial girls about their looks, and the contest is to find Miss _Perfect_! I'm sorry, but to me that concept is just stupid."

Bella couldn't take it anymore. In a fraction of a second, Drew's face turned red as she slapped his cheek.

"How dare you insult my work? I can't believe you think what I do is stupid! Why didn't you say it before? Why did you wait until now to open your fat mouth?"

Hot tears were streaming down her cheeks, and that was when Drew realized what he was saying. His expression softened and he reached out to wipe away her tears. Bella saw this and pushed his arm out of the way.

"Don't touch me!"

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said at all."

"Yeah right."

"I mean it. I'm just in a bad mood really. Please forgive me."

Drew was pouting and she couldn't resist it. He was so handsome and he looked so weak that she accepted his apology without even thinking about it. She was so glad that he was hers that she didn't care if he had said those things. Bella hugged him fiercely, but Drew didn't respond as she thought he would. Drew put his arms around her, but didn't hug her back. Bella was a bit disappointed, but she didn't want to lose him.

"Hey Drew, do you want some breakfast?"

She got up off the couch and he turned the t.v. on. Drew sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure. Why not?"

..:-:..

May woke up and when she saw the dreary weather outside, she became exasperated. The weather could do that to a person, but unfortunately for her, she had to go to work still. Then she looked at the time and realized that she was going to be late.

"Oh no! I have to get there in five minutes!"

Suddenly Brendan bumped into her as she was running out of her room. She was frustrated and gritted her teeth irritably.

"Brendan! Why didn't you wake me up? I'm going to be late now!"

"Oh? I'm sorry babe, there was this really good show on and I forgot…"

"Whatever, I have to go."

She took her keys and walked out the door without even giving him a kiss goodbye. Brendan shrugged his shoulders and went back to the couch. When May got out of the building, she yelled out angrily. Her umbrella was still upstairs, but she didn't have time to go get it. May was angry with Brendan; one day he was so caring and the next day, it was like she was trash and he didn't want to bother to notice her. All of this and it was only the beginning of the day. She tried to shield herself with her arm and a newspaper she found, but it wasn't really working. Thankfully, a taxi came to her rescue.

"Oh thank you so much! Can you get me to the daycare please? I'm going to be late!"

The driver nodded and stepped on the pedal. May was hurled back into the seat as the driver sped through the streets. When the taxi stopped, she had paid him and got out of it with a feeling of exhaustion. She had gotten to the daycare in record time, but because of the amount of streets taken, and the speed in which she arrived there, it seemed like she had aged a year. May's clothes were only dotted a bit by the rain, and the familiar doorbell greeted her as she stepped inside the daycare.

"Mr. Maguchi?"

He came out of the storage area smiling despite the thundering outside.

"May! I'm so glad to see you! I was beginning to think you wouldn't come in today because of the weather!"

"Oh no sir! I always go to work, that is unless I'm terribly sick or something."

He laughed mildly and then smiled.

"Someone has missed you a lot, did you know that?"

May scratched her head and then suddenly smiled as Hopril jumped up into her arms.

"She seems to be very fond of you dear. I've been thinking, would you want to adopt her as your own pokemon? She doesn't have an owner and you would be perfect for the job."

She cried joyously and hugged the little blue pokemon.

"Oh of course! Thank you Mr. Maguchi! Did you hear that Hopril? You are my new pokemon now!"

The water pokemon wriggled in her arms with just as much joy and the two of them were the complete opposites of what was going on outside. Inside the daycare, there was happiness and it radiated to each corner of the room. Outside, the storm dragged on, and the winds picked up. The day started to pass by, and it felt like everything was stuck in time. May tried to be cheerful though, and she worked hard in both greenhouses, taking care of all the pokemon, and forming even closer bonds with them. It gave her a sense of importance; she was the reason why all of these creatures were living well and in a good environment. Nothing was better than that.

..:-:..

"Drew! Could you help me over here? There's something wrong with the sink!"

He sighed angrily, getting up for about the tenth time that afternoon. The storm had stopped, but the skies were still dark and the air outside was muggy. Inside of his apartment, the tension left over from that morning was still hanging in the air. Drew and Bella no longer were getting along like a happy couple and whenever they talked, they were always irritable with one another.

"What's the problem?"

"The water won't drain itself."

Drew saw the sink full of water and then put his hand down into it. His fingers felt a sticky substance and then he sighed with frustration as he pulled on it. As soon as Drew lifted his hand, the water went down the drain. Bella scrounged her face as she saw what was in Drew's hand.

"Bella, what did you put into the sink?"

"I don't know! All I was doing was washing dishes and then it got stuck."

"Well it looks like oatmeal…"

"Oh that's right! I didn't want the rest of my oatmeal so I poured it into the sink!"

She smiled slightly but then saw Drew's tired expression and she frowned.

"Bella… you know what… I think I'm going to go take a bath or rest or something…"

Inside she was becoming increasingly worried that their relationship wasn't going in a good direction. But there wasn't anything she could do at that moment except to let him do whatever he wanted to do. She watched him tread slowly to his room, and she winced when he shut the door close.

..:-:..

After about an hour, Drew grew restless, and the afternoon was coming to a close. He looked outside the window and was surprised to see that there was a part in the clouds and he could see all the beautiful array of colors. It all looked like a sherbet of orange, red and yellow, so much that it reminded him of May. All day long he had tried his best not to think about her, but at that moment, he couldn't help wondering what she was doing. His eyes looked at his door, and then he bit his lip slightly. He had to get away from the dread his apartment brought him. Slowly, Drew made his way out of the window and onto the fire escape. In no time at all, he had made it outside. As he stood in the street, he took a deep breath of fresh air and already he was beginning to feel better.

Upstairs, Bella heard the phone ring. She picked it up, and in the short conversation, she had found her excuse to leave the apartment as well. Bella walked to Drew's room and knocked on the door.

"Drew? Are you there? There is a problem with one of the girls at the contest and I need to go. Drew?"

There was no answer, so she assumed he was sleeping. Quickly, she wrote a note and left it on the kitchen table.

..:-:..

May was finally done with work, and she left it feeling like she had spent her time usefully. This time as she walked out of the daycare, she had a poke ball with her, and Hopril was inside of it. She smiled to herself when she realized it wasn't raining anymore, and that the sky was clearing up. As each car passed by, she heard the rush of friction between the tires and the water on the street. She loved the sound, and closed her eyes, imagining herself whizzing away. When she opened her eyes, she knew just the place to go. It was becoming a daily routine, but the park was a place where she felt the happiest. When she got there, she knew she had made the right decision.

The air was fresh and it had a heavenly scent because of the rain. Drops of rain slowly fell off the leaves and onto her hair. May giggled whenever she felt another one fall onto her head. When she finally reached the bridge that crossed the river, the sun had set, and the clouds had disappeared. Millions of stars dotted the sky and she saw their reflections on the water. For the first time that day, she allowed herself to think about Drew. Ever since she had that awkward feeling, she avoided thinking about him at all, but now her mind went over every detail of the previous day's events with him. A smile crept onto her face and she looked over the river, daydreaming. But those thoughts ended abruptly as she heard a noise next to her. The bridge creaked and then she saw a figure approaching her. It was then that she realized it was late, and she wasn't home yet. When he stood right next to her, she began to relax. It was a man she had seen in the park many times; he was probably enjoying the evening as she was.

"Hello! It's nice to see you again… I don't believe we've ever really introduced ourselves to each other…"

"Yes, you're right. My name is May, what's yours?"

"People like to call me Nanashi."

"Oh… that's an unusual name."

He was beginning to step closer towards her, and her anxiety was returning.

"Yes, it is. I assume you are an admirer of nature? I am too."

"That's wonderful… I think I should be going home now though."

"Nonsense! The night has just begun! Look at all the beautiful stars!"

One of his arms reached towards the sky, and foolishly, May looked up. In a split second, his other arm reached for May's bag and she gasped with shock.

"Get away from me!"

Nanashi leaned forwards and wrapped his arms around her so that she couldn't escape. His mangled hair brushed her cheeks and she saw his piercing black eyes. A chill went down her spine and a haunting feeling crept inside her mind.

"Now, why would I let a pretty girl like you go without a proper farewell?"

Drew had wandered around through the city, and when he saw that the daycare center was closed, his only other option was the park. Naturally, as he made his way towards the bridge, he saw May's beautiful glowing form standing there. But when he got even closer, he saw her struggling with a strange man. His arms were all over her, and he heard her desperate intakes of breath. Drew ran up to the bridge with his fists clenched.

"Get your hands off of her!"

May couldn't see him but she knew that voice. Inside she was relieved and she stopped struggling because she knew that Drew would save her. Nanashi had other plans though, and when he saw Drew he knew what to do. He spun May around and then pulled her close to him. May's eyes sparkled joyously as she looked at Drew. For a second they called out to each other silently, but then May took a deep intake of air as she felt a sharp metal against her throat. Drew's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open when he saw the man put a knife up to her throat. The metal gleamed as the moonlight shined on it.

"Don't come a step closer, or I will hurt her!"

Drew gritted his teeth and his mind went berserk. May tried to remain calm, but it wasn't helping. All she could think of was Drew. Her life could be over any moment and her mind was flooding with memories from past contests. They each played before her eyes as a series, and then it ended with Drew giving her roses. Tears stained her eyes and as Drew saw them, everything in his entire being wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her. If he didn't act quickly, he could possibly be holding her cold, stiff body. But then an idea occurred to him.

"Fine. I am going to leave."

He looked at May steadily and suddenly she knew everything would be all right. As Nanashi watched Drew leave, he let the knife fall. Drew quickly ran behind a tree and then rolled a poke ball onto the ground.

"Arcanine, I need you to shoot a flame thrower at the bridge, all right?"

The doglike pokemon nodded and as the man's grip on May loosened, a beam of fire blinded his gaze. The bridge, being made of wood, spread the fire rapidly. May took the opportunity and with all the strength that she possessed, she ran into the park. Nanashi ran the other way and when May stopped, she turned around and saw her beloved bridge in flames. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Hopril, come out and use water blast!"

The small pokemon came out of its poke ball, and at once knew that its owner was in distress. For a cute pokemon, the pressure of the attack was enormous, and soon there were no more flames. The bridge hadn't been destroyed, but it was unsafe and ashen. May smiled weakly as she recalled the pokemon back into its poke ball. From behind the tree, Drew did the same with Arcanine, and then he ran to find May. She saw him from a distance and her heart leaped with tremendous joy.

"Drew…"

Her cry was weak, and just as he reached her she fell into his arms. His heart started to race wildly, thinking that the man had injured her, but it was the stress that came from the situation which brought on May's weakness. Drew knelt on the ground as he held her in his arms. When he saw her magnificent blue eyes look up at him, and when he didn't feel a cold, limp body in his arms, he began to relax.

"May… are you all right?"

"…yes… I think I'm okay."

They looked at each other for a while, as May began to regain her strength. She sat up a little bit, still leaning on Drew for support.

"Thank you so much Drew… I … I don't know what would have happened if…"

She began to cry lightly, and then May found herself with her arms wrapped around him. Drew caressed her back and inhaled the scent of her hair.

"It's okay… you're safe now… you're safe…"

Her sobs stopped and then she pulled away slowly. With their arms still around each other, May realized that the awkward feeling wasn't there. Instead she felt something completely different. She looked deeply into his emerald eyes, and then she ran her gaze across his gentle face. Drew couldn't believe it, but at that moment, he felt like the happiest man on the planet. All he could do was stare at her extraordinary beauty, and he felt it radiate into his own being. Finally after much debate, May decided to say what was on her mind.

"Drew… I have to tell you something… I don't think I can avoid it any longer…"

His mind began to race as he awaited her response.

"When I was up on that bridge, with the knife up to my throat… all I could think about… was _you_…"

May looked down at her knees for a moment and then she looked up to his face again and saw a soft smile and a twinkle in his emerald eyes.

"May, I have to tell you something too… If something had happened to you just now, I think I wouldn't be able to live with myself…"

Both of their statements had finally come out, and their hearts burst with joy. Suddenly, May smiled.

"Does this mean what I think it means?"

Each of them leaned forward and the slight breeze brushed their skin, causing them to hang onto each other more securely. Each pair of eyes didn't leave the others, and the distance between their mouths was decreasing.

"…I think it does…"

Slowly, May closed her eyes and felt the pressure of his lips on hers. It was a feeling like no other and her heart began to race wildly. Drew pulled her in closer to his chest and he ran his hand through her hair. Their kiss deepened and both of them knew that they had never been kissed with so much love and passion. May cupped her hands behind Drew's neck and he pulled her lower back towards him. Minutes passed by and they finally pulled apart. May's breathing slowly returned to normal, as did Drew's. Each of them was completely shocked at how magnificent that had felt. May was the first one to say anything.

"What did we just do?"

"I think we just kissed…"

May rolled her eyes and hit him on the shoulder. Drew winced and then he saw that she was serious.

"Drew, this isn't funny. Don't you realize we have just cheated on Brendan and Bella?"

He looked down at the ground and then back at her. Somehow he found a new strength inside of him. Drew took her hand and pulled her close to him. She tried pushing him away, but he wouldn't let go of her. His eyes began to glow in the moonlight, and she couldn't help but look at him longingly.

"May… just try to tell me that you don't care about me…"

Her mouth slightly opened, and then she felt his lips on her again. This time, the kiss was even more meaningful than the first. May pulled away and looked away shamefully.

"I do care about you…"

"May, I know it's wrong, but we can't help it, can we?"

She looked up at him, and she realized how much he had grown up. Her heart was telling her that he was the one, but her mind was shouting Brendan's name. Drew saw that she was still debating, but his mind was made up. He knew that he couldn't live without her, and Bella was nowhere near as important to him than May was.

"May… I know it sounds crazy… but I think I love you…"

Her eyes became round and tears started to form in them. Her voice was a mere whisper.

"No Drew… no… please don't say that…"

"It's true… please tell me that you love me too…"

His plea finally worked as she realized what her heart was telling her, she couldn't keep inside any longer.

"I love you too Drew… it's been so long, but I think I finally understand my emotions…"

Drew erupted with a happy glow on his face, but she wasn't smiling.

"…but I am still Brendan's girlfriend, and you are Bella's boyfriend… we can't ignore that."

He pulled her into a reassuring hug. She melted right into it and knew she was making the right choice, although she still had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

"May, if we both care about each other so much, then we have to find a way to be together. You said so yourself that all you could think about was me, not Brendan."

She bit her lip and knew what he was saying made sense.

"Okay fine. But I need some time. I can't just tell Brendan that I don't want to be with him anymore."

"All right, I need some time too with Bella… although we're not on the best of terms now anyways…"

"Why? What happened?"

They began to walk through the park, each with an arm around the other.

"Nothing really, it's a long, boring story… let's just say I was thinking about someone else and she was being really annoying."

May couldn't help but smile along with him. They continued to walk home, and when it came time to split up, they kissed each other goodnight. For the first time, Drew came home with a smile on his face. Unfortunately, Bella was not smiling.

"Where have you been?"

"Uh… I was out. Why, is that forbidden?"

She looked at him suspiciously, and she knew not to irritate him even more than she already had that day.

"No, no it's not."

He walked up to her, and she spread her arms out so that he would hug her. Drew did, but it wasn't anything like being with May. Bella sighed after she kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Drew…"

"Goodnight."

He closed the door to his bedroom and Bella sat on the couch, a tear rolling down her cheek.

..:-:..

May came into her apartment quietly, and saw that Brendan was asleep on the couch. She smiled to herself, but then was taken immediately by a wave of guilt. Then she remembered what it felt like when Drew had kissed her, and she knew that she had to follow her heart. With a heavy conscience, she went to bed, not even changing her clothes. The night air swept into her room, and she fell asleep to dreams of a green haired boy.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Okay, so I did a lot of thinking… and I changed this chapter up a bit from what it was going to be… I'm not sure how this turned out, but hopefully it's still good :P

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. Bella jerked her head up and smiled at the dawning of a new day. She had had a wonderful night of rest and was ready to win back Drew's affection. The wave of new confidence spread through her soul like wildfire and she began cleaning up the apartment. As soon as she was done with that, she took to the kitchen, making Drew's favorite breakfast dish, pancakes with syrup. She hummed to herself quietly as the morning grew brighter. Drew's nose woke him up and as he sniffed the air, his eyes shot open at the realization that there were pancakes being made. He jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. Bella cried out first and Drew stumbled backwards. The pancakes flew into the air and fell right on top of his face.

"Oh no! Drew! Are you all right?"

They were slumped down on their knees and then Drew peeled the pancake off of his face. Bella couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she saw the syrup on his cheeks, mouth and nose. He licked his mouth and made smacking noises.

"Well, the syrup tastes wonderful."

Bella put a hand over her mouth and smiled as they laughed together.

"Oh Drew, I'm sorry. I thought I could surprise you with your favorite breakfast, but I guess it got to you before I could get it there."

He watched her genuine expression of happiness and couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful after all, and she was sitting there with a hint of childhood innocence. It reminded him of May a bit, and then he cringed because of the comparison.

"I'm so silly, I should be helping you get that junk off of your face!"

Drew shook his head and waved his hand.

"No, it's okay Bella, really. I can do it my…"

He couldn't respond because at that moment Bella licked her tongue on his cheek. Then she put her arms around him, leaving the plate of dirty pancakes on the side. She started to kiss his whole face and lick off the syrup. Drew started to feel uncomfortable with her display of affection, but before he could protest she put her mouth over his, jamming her tongue inside. He was shocked but suddenly felt the wonderful taste of maple syrup in his mouth and he thought he was eating pancakes. Suddenly, when Bella ran her hands through his hair, he realized that he wasn't. Drew felt his stomach growl and then Bella finally pulled away.

"Oh! You still haven't eaten! Okay, get dressed and I'll have another batch ready for you sweetie."

She helped him stand up and then she smiled at him warmly. Her passive-aggressive nature left him confused and he didn't know whether he was with a soft, gentle person like May, or with a tiger that was ready to pounce on him. Drew shook his head again and went to go take a shower. Bella's efforts to clean his face weren't extremely successful after all.

..:-:..

May heard her alarm clock that morning and actually smiled when she went to go shut it off. Brendan must have made an effort to do it for her after the problem she had the previous morning. But her smile wasn't full of happiness and soon she realized the whole night she had only dreamed of being with Drew. It hurt her heart even more when she walked in and saw that Brendan was laying spread out on the couch again. He looked so adorable and she felt awful about sneaking around behind his back. She went into the kitchen and made some scrambled eggs for both of them. Soon enough, Brendan woke up, his silver hair messy and untamed. As she was standing in front of the stove, Brendan came up from behind and hugged her.

"You are the best May! You know I love scrambled eggs in the morning."

He nudged her head with his fist and May ducked down a bit as she chuckled.

"It's no problem Brendan. By the way, thanks for setting the alarm for me."

"Oh, it worked? Good! I didn't want you to be upset with me after the last time you know."

He gave her a big grin as she handed him a plate of eggs. May smiled but sighed to herself. She didn't know how she was going to do it. She didn't want to break his heart, and May knew he had a big one. All of a sudden when May turned around, her eyes widened as she saw a clean plate on the table.

"Brendan! Did you eat all of it already?"

"Yeah! It was delicious! Hey, I got to run to the gym. I'll see you later, okay?"

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then left her standing there gaping at the empty seat where he had sat a second ago. Then it occurred to her that Brendan was always at the gym. If he did come home, he would always watch television and he was decreasingly showing affection for her, mind him even _saying_ something nice to her.

"He's so infuriating! I can't believe I felt sorry for him!"

She looked at the time and sighed.

"I have to go to work now… maybe something … or _someone_ will cheer me up today."

May smiled and knew exactly who could do that for her.

..:-:..

Drew ruffled the towel through his hair and let it dry. He walked into the kitchen and inhaled the scent of his breakfast.

"Bella this smells great!"

"Thanks Drew! Eat up! You have to get to work you know."

He sat down and looked at her for a moment.

"Well stop gawking at me! _Eat!_"

Drew laughed to himself and picked up his knife and fork. Bella sat down across from him and sighed.

"Remember how I said I had to go to work yesterday?"

Drew's face was stuffed with pancakes and he couldn't do anything but nod.

"Well, I got there and one of the girls wanted to kill herself."

Drew's eyes practically popped out and he had to swallow hard to not choke.

"What? Is she okay?"

"Yes, we got her to settle down. It was all really horrible. She said that she wasn't pretty enough and that she wanted to kill herself because of it."

"You know what I think?" asked Drew after he gulped down some milk, "I'm sorry to say it, but this whole contest doesn't seem to be a good idea."

Bella nodded gravely and sighed again.

"I agree with you Drew."

He cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.

"You do?"

"Yes. If a girl is going to try and commit suicide because of it, then the whole idea is going too far, don't you suppose?"

Drew was completely shocked at her sudden change of character, so much that she intrigued him.

"I guess…"

"So after getting there, and helping the girl, I quit."

"_What_? But that's your job!"

"I know, but I can always find another. I don't want to be a part of something that horrible."

Drew smiled and they both stood up. He was glad she finally wised up. They walked arm in arm to the kitchen and then they stood together. Bella kissed him and as his lips touched hers, his eyes shot open as he realized that he had kissed May just the night before. Drew abruptly pulled away and Bella seemed confused as to why he did it. They were on such good terms now; it seemed like all of the negative feelings had gone away.

"Why are you leaving Drew?"

"Well I guess that my boss wants me extra early to make up for yesterday's weather interruption in business sales."

She smiled radiantly and hugged herself.

"Okay then! Be careful! I'll see you later."

He waved as he headed out the door and then he stopped and muttered to himself.

"What am I going to do about this mess I'm in?"

..:-:..

It was somewhere near noon, and May was truly anxious to get out of the daycare for once. All day she had been thinking of one person in particular and she really wanted to go see him. As she walked past all of the corner shops and street intersections, she finally spotted a man in green hair wearing a clean white uniform and hat. He was giving out ice cream cones to the last pair of children when he saw her walking up to him. Right when he looked at her, he forgot about everything else that had happened and he smiled. Drew bit his lip and looked around for his boss.

"Hey boss? Can I go take a break now?"

"Again? You just had one."

"No, that was two and a half hours ago!"

The boss looked up and saw May walking up to the stand happily. His expression changed right away.

"You know what? Go ahead. You can take a half hour break if you'd like."

"Really? Thanks!"

May finally reached the cart and smiled as Drew turned around to face her.

"Hello Mr. Ice Cream Cone."

She laughed and Drew mocked a chuckle. He took off his hat and put it on her head.

"Looks like you're _Mrs._ Ice Cream Cone. How do you like _that?_"

May blushed a bit as Drew flipped his hair. She took off the hat when she saw the boss looking at them. He nodded to her and she smiled back shyly. Drew took off his uniform and put the hat on a chair. May felt a hand in hers and smiled as Drew looked at her.

"Come on. Let's get out of here."

They walked a bit to their favorite place, the park. May led Drew to a secluded place that only she knew about. There was a small hole in the forest of trees, and it led to a small clearing where there was a sparkling pond. Once they were there, the sun shined down its warmth on them, and Drew took May in his arms instantly, running his hands through her hair and taking in the smell of it. May wrapped herself around him as well, and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling simply amazed at how much warm affection he was showing her.

"I missed you Drew."

He chuckled quietly.

"We weren't apart for _that_ long."

All of a sudden, she pulled away with his arms still around her. His sarcastic tone reminded her of his youthful immaturity.

"Drew, don't be like that!"

He smirked and cocked his head to the side as he leaned in closer to her again.

"Do you mean like this?"

She suddenly felt his lips graze hers and she melted into his embrace. Her hands cupped the back of his neck as he rested his on her lower back. The two expressed their love for each other in that kiss, and then they decided to sit down by the water. May leaned back onto Drew's chest and he put his arms around her.

"Drew, how come it feels so right when you kiss me?"

There was a small silence and then he shifted in his place.

"I don't know… why. But if it is meant to feel that way, how come it also feels so wrong?"

May sat up and turned towards him, her loose hair cupping her face. He looked at her wonderful blue eyes and whimpered slightly. His head hung loose and then May took it in her hands and brought it close to her. Her head bent down to next to his and then she whispered.

"I don't want you to feel like you are doing something wrong."

Drew looked up and saw that her face had a sad smile on it.

"We will have to only be friends until we break off our other relationships."

She stood up suddenly and then Drew grabbed onto her arm.

"May! No, I can't do that. I don't think I could be without you for another second."

He stood up beside her, and then the sunlight vanished as clouds passed by. May shivered slightly and then Drew pulled her into a hug.

"Don't you feel the same way?"

Her voice was small and hidden, as tears fell down her face.

"Did you hug and kiss Bella this morning Drew?"

She didn't want to ask it, but she had to. Drew let go of her a little bit, also reluctant of hearing the question.

"Did you hug and kiss Brendan?"

They both looked at each other with immediate sadness and longing. May stepped away from him and shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry Drew, but until I find a way… I can't be with you right now."

She ran out of the clearing and back through the trees.

"May! Wait!"

He ran after her, but as he returned to the park, he saw her figure as a speck in the distance. Drew put a hand to his head and then saw that his half hour was up. With a broken heart, he returned back to work.

..:-:..

May ran all the way back to the daycare and when she returned she shut the door close and slid down against the wall crying.

"Why does this have to happen to me?"

"What has to happen to you?"

She stopped crying abruptly at the sound of her boss's voice. May wiped away her tears furiously and tried smiling.

"Oh it's nothing really… I…"

All of a sudden there was a flash of red light and a furry blue pokemon popped up on her legs.

"Hopril! What are you doing out of your poke ball?"

The pokemon put its little hands on her neck and cuddle up to its owner. May smiled gently and closed her eyes as she hugged her pokemon back.

"See… now that's what having pokemon is all about. You take care of them, and then they take care of you. It's so beautiful!"

May opened her eyes and Hopril joined her in the laughter.

"Thanks Hopril. You make everything so much better!"

"Hop-hop!"

May smiled and then stood up.

"Okay Hopril! Let's get back to work!"

A few hours passed by and May sat down for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. The pokemon had been a bit harder to handle that day; she had no idea why. Suddenly there was a tapping noise at the window and she woke up. May hadn't expected to see his green head again that day, but there he was, holding his hands together and pouting. She crossed her eyes furiously and shook her head as in a signal that he couldn't come in. After not moving for a couple of minutes, she walked up to the window and stood right in front of him, pointing her finger to her left. Drew didn't want to leave, but as he looked to his left, he saw a little boy with balloons and had an idea.

May saw him leave and sighed. She didn't want to have any more temptations that day. As she returned to her desk, she heard another knock at the window.

"I said get away!"

She turned around with rage, but then gasped when she saw a little boy with brightly colored balloons standing in front of the door.

"Oh I'm so sorry! Hold on a minute!"

May walked up to the door and unlocked it letting the little boy in.

"You're so cute! Can I help you?"

"Not really. I just have something for you. Here!"

He gave her a balloon and then left the daycare. She was confused, but then she saw a note attached to the string. She opened it up and read two simple words. _I'm sorry._ May folded the note and then looked up to see Drew standing at the door again. She shook her head and then reached for the door, opening it slowly.

"Drew, don't you understand I can't see you anymore? It hurts me…"

"I know, and I'm sorry for trying to make you do something you didn't want to do. I was just so confused, but I have realized that I'm not comfortable with this either."

A new light of maturity shined on Drew as the sun was starting to set. May was relieved and she smiled happily.

"So all I wanted to say was I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you Drew!"

She was about to put her arms around him, but then they stood there awkwardly. Suddenly they both heard the doorbell and they turned around to see Bella standing there.

"Drew? This is so coincidental! It's the second time I'm running into you here!"

"Bella! What are you doing here?"

She smiled and walked up to Drew, putting her arms around him.

"I guess it's a good thing you're here! I have wonderful news! You know that Pokemon Opera that's opening?"

"…_yes_…"

May looked at them with disappointment, but tried to think of something happy. She walked back to her desk and started fumbling through papers.

"Well… as a goodbye present, the contest committee is giving me four tickets to the show! Isn't that great?"

Drew gulped down on his own voice and tried to smile.

"That's great Bella!"

She gave him a quick kiss and then left him.

"May! It's so nice to see you again!"

She looked up from her work and put on her best smile.

"Bella! It's wonderful to see you too!"

"Did you hear me talking with Drew?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Well then you must have heard me say _four_ tickets. I came here to invite you and your boyfriend! Here are your two tickets!"

She slid the envelope on May's desk and she shook her head, taking an alarming glance at Drew as she did so.

"Oh no Bella! Really, I don't deserve it! And I'm not so sure Brendan likes operas…"

"But it's the hottest thing in town! Please accept them! I feel horrible about the way I acted the first time I met you… so please accept them as my apology."

Drew gave May a sympathetic look and then May turned her gaze back to Bella's.

"All right. I guess I'll have to accept…"

"Good! Good… well, then I'll see you tomorrow! I can't wait!"

She turned back around to Drew and he perked up.

"Were you done with whatever you were doing here Drew?"

"Uh… actually I just got here… if you wait outside, I'll be right there."

"Okay then!"

Bella smiled cheerfully and walked outside. Once she was out of their view May gave a sudden outtake of air.

"Drew, this is not good."

"I know, but what can I do about it? I had no idea she was going to invite you _and_ Brendan…"

"How are we supposed to tell them that we can't be with them? Drew, this is impossible…"

Drew put his hand on top of hers but she withdrew it hurriedly.

"I'm sorry Drew, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to have Roselia here anymore…" she said in a whisper.

"I think you're right…" said Drew as he put his hand in his pocket.

He watched her exit out to the greenhouses, and then after a few minutes, she returned with a poke ball.

"Thanks May… how much do I owe you?"

She smiled gently and shook her head.

"You don't owe me anything Drew… it was like taking care of my own pokemon. I'll miss you Roselia."

She handed him the poke ball, and then Drew put it in his pocket.

"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow… with Brendan."

"Yeah… and I'll see you and Bella tomorrow too."

He nodded sadly and then turned and walked towards the door. She heard the door shut and she didn't look up from her papers. Drew looked inside and saw her head hanging loosely, her hair blocking his view of her face. Suddenly Bella popped up beside him, cheerful as ever. He walked away, not seeing that there were wet circles dotting the papers on May's desk.

..:-:..

Once Drew and Bella finally got home, he was exhausted. They had decided to go grocery shopping and Drew had to carry all of the bags up the stairs. He put the last one down on the floor and then flopped down on the couch. Bella came from behind him and put her arms around his neck, kissing it softly.

"Thank you so much sweetie. You know you're my strong man!"

She laughed and he tried smiling but the muscles in his face couldn't move. Bella left and started to put away all of the groceries. Suddenly he felt a headache coming on and he knew it was from all of the mixed emotions and thoughts he had gone through that day.

"Are you all right Drew?"

"Yeah I'm fine Bella. I think I'm going to turn in for today though. The sun got to me."

"That's understandable. Go get some rest, you deserve it!"

He heard her shuffling through the groceries as he walked into his room. Drew sat down on his bed and muttered to himself.

"You deserve better than me Bella."

..:-:..

May got home early and saw that Brendan wasn't home yet. She was curious to know where he was, but then made the conclusion that he was most likely at the gym again. In a short time, she had made dinner for the both of them, but he still wasn't home. Finally after about another half hour, he came home and was all sweaty.

"Brendan... where were you?"

"Oh! May... I didn't think you'd be home so early... I was at the gym..."

"That's what I thought...well your dinner is cold now. Oh and by the way, we're going to the opera tomorrow."

"What? I don't want to!"

"But we have to. A friend gave us tickets and if I don't go with you, she'll be offended."

"Fine. Whatever."

"You can eat and do what you please. I'm going to bed."

May locked herself in her room and wished that she could live in her dreams, where the grass was green and so was Drew's hair.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the long wait! Here's the opera chapter, which was inspired by my first visit to an opera with my French class. Some stuff I experienced is in here, with a little tweaking from me lol xP hope you enjoy it! Please tell me what you think!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

May woke up feeling completely exhausted. For some reason the battle between her heart and her mind was wearing her down terribly. Even though Brendan and Drew hadn't gotten into a fistfight yet, it felt like someone had gotten hurt. May needed to get away from the situation, but then she jerked her eyes open.

"Today is the opera!"

Brendan had walked right by her room then and rolled his eyes, calling back to her.

"You just realized that? Do we really have to go babe? Can't we just stay home and relax?"

She desperately wished it could just be like that, but it didn't matter because she had promised Bella. Everything was just so complicated. Reluctantly, May got out of bed and went to go eat breakfast. As she walked into the kitchen she saw the mess on the table and assumed that Brendan had already eaten. She growled softly and started to clean up the table. Brendan tip toed behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso. May wasn't in the mood to shove him away so she just let him be. He kissed her ear after pulling her hair back.

"Brendan, could you give me a hand?"

He pulled away and smirked.

"All right. But then we get to play around during the show…"

She gaped at him but laughed her stress away. He was always joking around and not being serious at all. But maybe that's why she had been attracted to him in the first place. Brendan made her life seem less hectic than it really was. Together, they finished cleaning up and while May ate her cereal, Brendan watched something on the television, as usual.

"I'm going to go take a shower and get ready. Can you handle dressing yourself?"

"Yeah … don't worry about me."

"All right then. We'll see…"

..:-:..

It was earlier than he usually woke up but Bella was excited and wanted to get there before everyone else.

"Drew! We're going today!" she exclaimed as she pounced on his bed. He barely opened his eyes before Bella gave him a kiss. Immediately, he opened his eyes and pushed her off gently.

"Bella! Give me a minute to wake up all right?"

She looked disheartened but shrugged as she got off of his bed.

"All right… but we need to get ready soon."

His girlfriend left him and Drew sat up in his bed shaking his head. He never remembered her being this aggressive with him, but yet she did it so innocently. This of course reminded Drew of May and her sweet smelling brown hair. He longed to have her near him, but he knew it was impossible for the moment. He had to figure out a way to break up with Bella, and May had to break up with Brendan. All of that thinking hurt his head a bit and he left to go eat and take a shower.

..:-:..

May was taking a bit longer than usual to get ready for the opera. Brendan even noticed when his match was over and she was still not even halfway dressed.

"Are you done yet?"

"Just another couple of minutes! I'm finishing my hair up!"

Brendan rolled his eyes, exasperated.

"How long is this opera going to be?"

"I think maybe three or four hours."

He was pacing near the bathroom door and then he stopped and exploded.

"WHAT? That is so long! I can't believe it! I thought it would be at the most two hours!"

She heard him growling outside her door but smiled. It was fun sometimes, torturing him. At last she was done and Brendan cocked his head when he heard the door handle moving.

"Finally! You're… ready…"

His jaw fell open and he stood there speechless, staring at his girlfriend. May smiled gently and laughed a bit.

"Brendan, are you okay?"

"Yeah… it's just… you look so beautiful…"

He stepped up to her and gave her a soft kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and let herself be overcome by his presence. After a few moments, she started to feel drenched with his body surrounding hers. May pulled away and breathed deeply.

"Brendan, since when have you become so… _big_?"

"I've been working out a lot lately! Why, you don't like it?"

"No no… it's just I'm not used to it is all…"

He laughed and then linked his arm through hers as she grabbed her purse.

"So are we ready to go?"

"Yes… we are…"

May took a deep breath in and hoped that this day would go by without anything horrible happening.

..:-:..

Drew and Bella were already at the opera house awaiting the arrival of their two friends. It had taken Bella not too long to get ready, which stunned Drew. Once she came out of the bathroom, he was amazed that she hadn't changed that much, but yet she looked even more striking. They were ushered to their seats and Bella tapped her foot impatiently.

"Where are they? Oh I hope they aren't late!"

"Don't worry Bella, I'm sure they will come. Brendan might have been a bit hard to convince, but I'm sure that May will make him come."

She cocked her head towards him and looked at him questionably.

"How do you know that?"

"Oh, well see, I was at Ash and Misty's wedding, remember that? And I met him there with May."

"Oh…"

She looked back to the audience below her. They had received very good seats on the first balcony. Soon enough, time elapsed and the opera house was beginning to fill up rapidly. Brendan and May were nowhere to be seen.

"Drew! I think they aren't coming!"

"Relax Bella. I'm sure they will be here any minute now."

After a few more anxious moments of looking for them, the lights dimmed and everyone quieted down. Bella leaned over to Drew and whispered.

"They aren't here! I knew it! I can't believe her, she promised!"

Drew saw tears welling up in her eyes and rolled his eyes. He looked around through the darkness and spotted a girl with brown hair, but in his gut he knew it wasn't May.

"Wait Bella… I think I see her… she's down there…"

"What? Where?"

She didn't have any more noticeable tears in her eyes, but instead she had a happy glow attached to her face. Her gaze followed where Drew was pointing, but it was too dark to tell.

"Are you sure Drew?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Bella sat back and finally eased up on the tension inside of her. Drew had no idea why she wanted May and Brendan to come so badly. The curtains rose and everyone clapped.

..:-:..

"Come on Brendan! Look! The show is starting already!"

They were trying to find their seat on the second balcony. Thankfully, the four tickets Bella had weren't next to each other. After getting some people angry, they sat down and Brendan moved his seat right next to May's and put an arm around her. May looked at him from the side and rolled her eyes. He had no clue how to act at an opera. She tried to focus, learning from the stage that it was a love story of two pokemon. Great, this was just spectacular. All May needed was watching an opera about two loves who couldn't be together. Suddenly she felt Brendan's lips on her neck and she shoved him away forcefully. She had had enough from him and she wasn't going to ruin the show for everyone else around them.

"Brendan," she hissed, "stop it! We are at an opera, not a movie theater!"

He moved his seat away a bit and she sighed, looking at everyone else and giving them an apologetic look. Brendan didn't care and decided to lean his head against the wall and close his eyes. May smiled a bit and relaxed. If he was going to be asleep, it would be much easier to not worry about him.

..:-:..

It was finally intermission and May stood up and stretched her legs out. Brendan was sleeping like a baby and she didn't bother to wake him up. If she did, he would probably get lost within the mass of crowds. The first act had been sweet. Two Bulbasaur had fallen in love and were now trying to figure out a way to be together. It reminded her of that time long ago when her Bulbasaur and Ash's Bulbasaur had gotten along so well. But yet it also reminded her of the situation she was in. She really had to go to the bathroom though, and the thoughts disappeared once she saw the line.

"This is going to take forever!"

Suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around she was looking at none other than Bella.

"May! I wasn't sure you were going to be here! The show started and we had already given up hope, but here you are!"

"Oh yes, we were just a bit late. Our seats are on the second balcony."

An expression of annoyance spread across Bella's face but she smiled. Drew said he was sure May was on the bottom floor. Well, maybe anyone could make that mistake.

"So are you enjoying the show?"

"Oh yes! It's fantastic, as are the seats! I still can't thank you enough for your hospitality!"

Bella waved a hand and kept smiling.

"It's nothing really. Did you say something about the line? There's another bathroom upstairs."

All the heads towards the back of the line turned around and stared at Bella incredulously. She moved closer to May and whispered.

"It's on the second right once you reach the top of the stairs. Hurry! These women look like they might kill me"  
They both laughed and May smiled.

"Thanks Bella!"

She rushed up the stairs in her heels, and most of the women began to follow her. Now not only was she feeling guilty about dumping Brendan, but she was also going to regret how crushed Bella will become once Drew tells her about the break up. But she pushed that thought aside as she reached the bathroom door, no line in sight.

..:-:..

"Sorry ladies, you should have gotten here faster," May said as she walked out of the bathroom. Another line had formed and she laughed to herself as she walked down the hall, observing the crowd below her. She had not seen Drew yet, and a part of her was glad because she didn't want to risk her feelings getting mixed up again. But then another part was telling her that she needed to be with Drew that second. Seemed like the second side won, because she stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the end of the hall.

"May?"

She turned around slowly and saw that Drew was standing there gaping at her. He was dressed very handsomely in a tuxedo, just like Brendan, but yet his soft green hair fell around his face perfectly. She yearned to just walk up to him and wrap her arms around his figure, but she stood rooted to her spot.

Drew was completely speechless. If he had thought she was beautiful before, she was even more stunning now. Half of her russet colored hair was pulled up and all of it was in long curls. Her shoulders were bare and she wore a long, sleek, black silk dress. A shimmering silver shawl was wrapped around her arms and it fell down to her mid-thigh on both sides. Finally he looked at her wonderful blue eyes, which drew him in the most. May was beginning to worry about him; he had not said another word besides her name and his mouth was still hanging open. She took a few steps towards him and waved a hand in his face.

"Hello? Earth to Drew!"

He shook his head quickly and then closed his mouth.

"Are you all right?" she asked with a soft laugh. Drew smiled and just stared at her adoringly. May saw the look on his face and then her eyes grew larger.

"Drew, no… you can't be thinking what you're thinking!"

He stepped up to her and smirked handsomely as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He began to lean in and May pushed away reluctantly.

"So you know what I'm thinking? That means you know that I'm going to kiss you now…"

His heavenly voice and scent intoxicated her thoughts and she closed her eyes, lost in his embrace. _This was wrong…_ her mouth opened slightly… _they couldn't do this now_… she felt his breath on her face… _no_.

"Bella…" she whispered, finally finding her strength. It took her so much force to resist him, but she did it just before he kissed her. Drew pulled away, stiffening his spine and letting go of May. She opened her eyes and looked at him, his eyes full of longing and sadness.

"I'm sorry… I lost myself."

"That's okay Drew. But we have to be more careful. Who knows if either Bella or Brendan will pop up out of nowhere?"

"You're right. I'm so stupid," he looked up into her eyes and managed to smile, "but it's just that you look amazing May, you look absolutely amazing…"

She blushed and took his hand. He was dragged back to the first floor and May stood him in front of her.  
"Now go in there and forget that I'm just a balcony above you."

"I'll try to… but I don't think that will be possible."

She saw his smile one last time before he headed into the doorway to his balcony. May whimpered slightly and reached out an arm as she saw the door close. It hurt her so much to not be the one he was seeing the opera with, but that's how it had to be.

..:-:..

Brendan woke up with an itching sensation. He had to find a bathroom, and fast. May wasn't in her seat, so he left the box and went in search of a bathroom. Once he found it and walked back out, he saw a group of giggling girls in the distance. Maybe it was May, but it really didn't matter to him. He walked up closer and saw that about four girls were surrounding a woman in the middle. His jaw dropped open when he saw her. Her hair fell down around her face gracefully with a bit of bounce to it. Her eyes sparkled with a compelling natural beauty and her white suit and black camisole made her even more attractive. He had to find out who she was.

Bella was talking amongst some of her friends when she noticed a man observing the group in the distance. She looked away, but then she saw that he had come closer. Once she saw him fully in the light, she saw that he was drop dead gorgeous. His dark gray suit barely fit him because of his muscular body. The one thing she noticed however was his stunning white smile, and matching silver hair. A faint blush spread across her face as he made his way towards her. The girls spread apart and let Brendan through. He took her hand and kissed it gently. A wave of 'oo's spread through the watching girls and it was then that Bella realized her boyfriend was Drew, and not this man. But suddenly, his eyes met hers and the breath was taken out of her. He smiled as he let go of her hand.

"Hello beautiful…"

..:-:..

Both Drew and May were sitting in their respective seats alone, waiting for their partners to come back from wherever they had gone. May wasn't surprised to see that Brendan wasn't there. Nature calls and no one can do anything about it. So when he finally came back, she didn't question him.

"Is it starting again?"

"Yes, you came back just in time."

To her surprise, Brendan didn't go to sleep like before, but this time he watched the opera intently, with a dazed look in his eyes and on his face. May just shrugged her shoulders, sighed and watched the opera unfold.

..:-:..

"Where were you? Don't you know that the show is starting?"

Bella rushed to her seat as Drew observed her flushed facial expression.

"Sorry, I was talking with a group of my friends."

"Okay…"

They sat in silence, but every so often he glanced at her and saw that something had changed in her mood. It was a dreary feeling, but it passed and Drew slumped in his seat, looking on the stage at the actors.

..:-:..

A couple of hours passed and then everyone on stage bowed as the crowd gave a standing ovation for the performance. Drew was more alive than before arriving, because it was finally over and he had gotten through the hardest part of the day. Bella had told him she had seen and talked with May, so that obstacle was out of the way. Everyone was starting to gather their things and Drew stretched his arms.

"So, did you enjoy the opera?"

"Oh yes! The end was so sad, the two pokemon ended up separating and not being able to be with the one they loved! Oh!"

She wiped a tear that formed in her eye and Drew rolled his eyes. Bella didn't even know what pokemon were the main actor and actress, how pathetic. They had walked out of their balcony, and made it to the ground floor where everyone was gathering. After a lot of poking, Brendan woke May up. She had actually fallen asleep and not seen the end. But yet she saw the sad looks on many of the women's faces and knew what must have happened. The two pokemon had not been able to be together. She began to think if that was what was going to happen with her and Drew, but suddenly she stopped in her tracks, as did Brendan. Bella saw May first, but another person blocked her date. Drew was pulled through the crowd and waved and said 'sorry' to the passing people he had bumped into. Once Bella stopped her happy expression changed at once.

"Hi May…"

Both Brendan and Bella went into a state of utter shock. Bella saw May's arm in Brendan's and Brendan saw that Drew was Bella's date. Drew and May looked at each other and smiled.

"Nice to see you again May."

"Likewise Drew. I believe you've already met Brendan."

The two of them shook hands and the numbness in Brendan's arm went away temporarily. Drew and May acted like nothing was wrong, but it was a different story with Bella. She was rooted to her spot and May found her behavior a bit strange, but let the feeling go.

"Oh, and Brendan, this is Bella, Drew's girlfriend. She was the one kind enough to give us the tickets"  
He extended his hand out to her, and they looked each other as if all the color had drained out of their faces.  
"Hello. Thank you for the tickets."

"You're welcome."

It was like they were a pair of zombies. Drew noticed Bella's behavior as well, but he didn't shrug it off. There was something going on.

"Brendan, why do you look like you're going to fall over?"

He let go of Bella's hand quickly and looked at Drew. Even though Brendan was bigger and stronger, it felt like Drew was overpowering him at that moment.

"Oh no, it's just I met Bella before during the intermission…"

"… and we didn't realize who the other was…until now," Bella finished.

Both May and Drew looked at each other with a quick glance and then they looked away. It seemed odd, the way they were acting, but it didn't mean anything really.

"Well, I think Brendan and I have to be going now. Thank you again so much Bella. We appreciate your generosity"  
Bella was snapped back to reality by her statement and put on a perky smile.

"Really, it was nothing May! Don't even mention it anymore. I'm just glad you enjoyed the show."

They waved good-bye to each other and left. Bella watched Brendan's back disappear through the doors and she sighed. Drew looked at her with confusion and irritation.

"Bella, what is wrong with you? You're acting like you have seen a ghost!"

She tried to smile but she wouldn't touch him.

"I'm fine really Drew… I think I'm just a bit tired. Let's go home."

"All right…"

They walked out, tension barricading the two of them from going anywhere near each other. Nothing much was different in the taxi ride home for May and Brendan.

"Are you okay Brendan?"

"Huh? Oh yeah babe. I'm just drowsy, all that sleep got to me."

He yawned and stretched his arms. May caressed herself in her silver wrap and looked out the window at the passing strangers. Suddenly May saw a man with green hair standing with a beautiful woman and she sighed.

This couldn't go on any longer.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **I wanted to thank all my annoymous reviewers! Darkness, Jose, contestshipping fan, Shattered emotions, and nada! I don't get a link to reply to your reviews, so I'm going to thank you all now! ;D I appreciate your reviews a lot!

* * *

**Chapter 8 **

May woke up late that morning, and then when the realization occurred to her, she shot up out of bed.

"I'm late again! _Oh_, Mr. Maguchi isn't going to be happy!"

She ran out of her bedroom and slid into the kitchen. May put her hands on her head and panicked.

"What am I going to do? I'm late… _again!"_

"Chill out May… it's Sunday."

The voice of her boyfriend made her jump and she turned around to see him on the couch. Brendan was watching t.v. again and when he spoke to her, he didn't even turn his eyes away from the screen. It caused May to have another storm of rage build up inside of her, but she didn't say anything. He seemed so very distant and she realized that maybe it wouldn't be so hard to break up with him, but she was usually a nice person, and she wasn't ready just yet. Breakfast was cold, but she ate it anyways. Like every morning, she got ready and took her keys off of the kitchen counter.

"I'm going to go do some shopping… will you be home?"

He finally turned around to face her and she saw in his eyes a storm of turmoil. She squinted but didn't confront him.

"I don't know. I might, or I might go out too…"

"Okay…bye."

The door shut close and May walked away with a sigh of relief. The tension in her apartment was unbearable.

..:-:..

Drew got up first and saw that Bella was still asleep, but strangely enough, on the couch. She had taken the top part of her suit off so that she just had her black camisole on. He couldn't deny the fact that she looked beautiful sleeping there like a child. Drew walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes.

"Oh… Drew… it's you…"

Bella sat up and yawned. Drew chuckled slightly and then she put her hands on her hips.

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"Oh no… it's just you are always up before me, and I haven't seen you wake up."

She smiled and then hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her briefly and looked away. Bella looked at him cheerfully, yesterday's tension gone.

"Do you want to do something together again?"

He looked hesitant but didn't want to ruin her nice attitude. Drew smiled and nodded.

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

"I was thinking… you know this one park in the center of the city?"

His stomach dropped and his mouth opened.

"What about it?"

"Let's go there! It's such a nice and calm spot to just hang around!"

Bella gave him an ecstatic smile and inside he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Okay, whatever you want."

..:-:..

It had been a few hours since that morning and May spent her time roaming around the city window shopping. She browsed the many stores and looked at all of the clothes, trying to cheer herself up, but it wasn't working. Noon had come around quicker than she expected and when she saw the sun up high in the sky she finally decided she needed to go buy some food. Once she was out of the store, a bag of groceries in each hand, she made her way outside and saw that across the street was the local gym. Instantly she thought of Brendan, and all of the time he spent there. She knew he wanted to be fit, but it was still interesting to think of all the hours he spent there.

The day ahead was still to come and she made her way back home. The keys rattled in the lock and the door swung open. Her gaze went straight to the couch, where she didn't see the familiar head of silver hair. May sighed as she put the bag of groceries on the counter. After she put everything away, she took a banana and ate it. The apartment looked dreary and empty. It felt like her life was like that too. Why couldn't she just go up to Brendan and tell him it was over? If only her life was like a dream, then perhaps it could be that simple. She threw the banana peel into the garbage can and walked out of the door. She needed to go somewhere, anywhere but that dull apartment.

..:-:..

"Oh Drew! Look! It's a little pond!"

She pulled him by his hand and squealed in delight when she saw a mother duck and her baby ducklings.

"Aren't they the cutest?"

Drew smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Yes they are."

She was so wrapped up in the family that she didn't realize a frisbee was coming straight at her. Drew saw it first, its bright red color spinning towards them rapidly.

"Bella! Watch out!"

Her head turned towards the disk slowly and Drew had to lunge in front of her to catch it. As it flew into his hands, he heard a shriek and turned on his heal immediately. Drew saw Bella falling towards the water and he dropped the frisbee instantaneously. She flung her arm forwards and Drew managed to grab her just before her loose hair touched the surface of the calm water. He pulled her up and she hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you Drew! It would have been horrible if I had fallen into the pond! Do you know how wet I'd be?"

She stepped away and straightened herself out. A familiar yellow pokemon suddenly ran to the couple and Drew smiled widely. Bella seemed apprehensive and she scooted away.

"What is that thing?"

The mouse pokemon was waving to Drew and she thought he was going to attack him.

"Drew watch out! It could be dangerous!"

He laughed at her and her eyes gleamed with hurt.

"What are you talking about Bella? Pikachu is nowhere close to dangerous!"

Suddenly, an older man, not by much, came up to them. His jet black hair stuck out from underneath his cap and he smiled widely and waved.

"Ash?"

"Drew! Thanks for catching the frisbee, but it was meant for Pikachu!"

He laughed and Bella eased up a bit. Drew saw her cowering next to him and then it hit him that the two didn't know each other.

"Oh, Ash, this is my girlfriend Bella. Bella, this is Ash, that guy who got married last weekend."

She smiled slightly and nodded.

"Hi. I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

"That's okay! Misty and I don't mind!"

Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's shoulder and then Ash observed the couple. Something didn't seem right to him and he frowned.

"Drew? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

The two of them walked away from Bella as she turned her attention back towards the pond.

..:-:..

May didn't know where to go, but she felt like eating an entire meal instead of one lousy banana. Although it was an appetizing fruit, she was still hungry. She was walking around and finally spotted a restaurant that she had been dying to try out. As she approached it, a familiar head of orange hair stuck out. May's smile widened when she saw her deep cerulean eyes glimmering at her.

"May! I can't believe it's you!"

She stood up, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. The two hugged each other and then Misty pointed to the seat across from her.

"Misty! It's so nice to see you again!"

"Please sit down May. Would you like to join me for lunch?"

Finally, she had a friend to talk to.

"Of course, if you don't mind! I really had forgotten that your wedding was a week ago! So much has happened in these past days that I can barely believe it myself…"

Misty saw the concerned look on her face and she furrowed her eyes seriously.

"Do you want to talk about it? You seem tense."

"Yes… I definitely am… oh wait."

The waiter came around and May ordered her meal, as did Misty. Once he left, she continued on.

"It all started on the day of your wedding of course. I hadn't seen Drew in almost, yes, eight years it was. Brendan is my boyfriend, but I don't know what I should do. You see, from that point on, I couldn't stop thinking about him, Drew, not Brendan. The next day, I bumped into him and we talked, and the same thing happened each day onwards. I thought I could push aside my past feelings, but they started to become stronger and stronger. Then one night, I was attacked in the park, and the man put a knife to my throat."

Misty gasped and she put her hands to her mouth.

"Were you all right?"

"Yes, everything turned out all right… because Drew came. It was then that I realized that I couldn't ignore my feelings anymore."

She stopped talking and Misty leaned in closer. May looked away and couldn't bear to speak.

"And?"

"And I cheated on Brendan with Drew… and he cheated on Bella, his girlfriend."

To her surprise, Misty didn't gasp in shock, but instead she smiled.

"You aren't angry with me?"

"Of course I'm not May. Do you know how Ash and I finally got together?"

She shook her head and took a bite of her sandwich.

"No…"

"Well, I was in love with his brother, Josh. But then things got out of control, and one night Ash finally told me he loved me. I had been hiding my feelings from myself too, just like you had. But then he proposed and I couldn't help it. I finally fell for him and I got rid of Josh. Tell me, why are you still with Brendan if you have feelings for Drew?"

May's mouth parted but then she closed it.

"It's not that easy for me Misty. I'm a nice person, and so is Brendan. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"But you also don't want to keep yourself trapped, fighting your heart and mind all the time."

A smile graced May's face and she stood up and hugged her friend.

"Misty! Thank you so much for your help! You just gave me the confidence to do what I've been wanting to do all along!"

She smiled and chuckled as May sat back down.

"That's all right! I'm always here for you… well now I am. Ash and I have just gotten back from our honeymoon…"

Misty gave May a dreamy smile and then May laughed.

"Where is he anyways?"

"Take a guess."

May rolled her eyes and the two of them answered simultaneously.

_"Training." _

..:-:..

Pikachu started to race around the tree and then ran up its stump to the branches. Ash and Drew sat down and they began to talk.

"What's up?"

Ash looked off into the distance and smiled.

"I remember when I used to be immature and carefree. But I've grown up since I decided to marry Misty."

Drew raised his eyebrows and shook his head, flipping his hair as he did so.

"No offence, but you are telling me this because?"

Ash's chocolate eyes stared him down and the annoyed smirk was wiped off of his face.

"I'm telling you this because I think you shouldn't be with Bella! I can see it in your face when you are with her; you are thinking about someone else."

Drew sat on edge and shifted around a bit.

"You are starting to freak me out Ash… you've never acted like this before."

"Well, I'm being serious for once, get used to it. Do you want to tell me what's going on between you two?"

"…after I saw May at your wedding reception, I couldn't stop thinking about her."

Ash nodded and closed his eyes.

"That makes sense. Go on."

"Well… it turns out… wait! What do you mean,_ it makes sense?"_

"Come on, I know you like her. I just don't know why you have to be so mean to her."

His eyes bulged in shock and then he whispered.

"Wait, do you know?"

"Know _what?"_

"About May and I and… how we cheated?"

This time Ash's eyes widened and he stood up.

_"You did what?" _

For an instant Bella turned around but then Drew pulled Ash back down and she turned her head back towards the pond.

"We stopped though after we first kissed… it's been a couple of days now and things have gotten really complicated."

"Why don't you just dump that girl? You obviously don't like her."

"Yeah, but I can't just go up to her and say _'Sorry, I just want to be your friend…'_ it would kill her!"

"Well you killed May's heart that time back then. You didn't have a problem with that."

Ash crossed his arms and Drew looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, don't act like you don't know what you did! You disregarded May's feelings as if they didn't even exist!"

"Ash, I have no idea what you are talking about, honestly."

The truth in his words hit Ash straight in his chest.

"Are you telling me you never got her card?"

"What card?"

He put his head in his hands as Drew became bewildered.

"Ash, tell me now! What does May think I did to her?"

"After that last battle at the championships, she wrote you a congratulatory card, and she told you that she liked you as more than rivals, as more than friends. When the two of you said goodbye, you said nothing and she thought you rejected her feelings. For a few days, all she did was mope around. It was really unbearable."

Drew sat back amazed and sick at his own actions.

"I can't believe she thought I would be like that."

"Well, I do. You weren't too nice back then…"

Drew managed to chuckle as he remembered all the cruel comments he had taunted May with. Suddenly, his face turned grim and he felt Bella's presence behind him. Ash chuckled shyly and Drew closed his eyes. He didn't know how much she had heard, but from Ash's expression he knew it wasn't good.

"It was nice talking with you Drew… think about what I said… uh, Pikachu! Let's go!"

The yellow pokemon followed its trainer out of the park, and then Drew stood up. He turned and faced Bella, who had a slight sadness seeping out of her eyes.

"Drew… what were the two of you talking about?"

An uncomfortable silence created a shield between them. The sun played across the grass, moving the shadows as if they were alive. Drew put a hand through his hair and sighed deeply.

"Drew?"

Her voice was small and inside he knew it was time.

..:-:..

May had said goodbye to Misty. She had gotten a call from Ash, and they were going home. She thought that she might as well check up on Brendan and see if he was home as well. Her confidence had been boosted by the talk she had with Misty. It was time that she was going to break up with Brendan.

On her way home, she saw the grocery store she had been at before, and then her gaze turned towards the gym across the street. Again, she had that uneasy feeling in her gut. Her thoughts ran wildly through her mind and suddenly, she saw a pair of angry girls walking out of the gym. May crossed the street and walked right behind them.

"Can you believe that guy? He's been doing it for so long!"

"I know! He's a total jerk, what was his name again?"

"I don't remember, but if he _hollers_ at me one more time when I'm working out…"

"You and I both agree then! That scumbag deserves a good slap or two!"

They stopped walking and May bumped into them as one girl exclaimed, "I remember now! His name was Brendan! He told me once when he asked for my number!"

It was then that they saw May gaping at them.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did we bump into you?"

She didn't respond and it seemed as if May was going to collapse.

"Are you all right girlfriend?"

Hot tears prickled her skin as she asked, "Did that Brendan guy have silver hair?"

"Yeah! He's there like, everyday! Did he say something to you too?"

"_Yes_," she said as she clenched her fists, "he said, _I love you babe_, every single day…"

Both girls put their hands up to their mouths and gasped.

"Are you… _his girlfriend?_ Oh my gosh! We're so sorry you had to find out…"

They didn't receive an answer because it was then that May ran back towards the gym. Another pair of girls was coming out and they seemed to be frustrated.

"But girls! I swear, I have money! We can out to dinner or something!"

Brendan sighed sadly and then shook his head. Suddenly, he turned around and stepped back in shock.

"May? What… what are you doing here?"

"How could you Brendan? You came here everyday to try and pick up other girls!"

He was about to open his mouth when he felt a sharp jab at his jaw. His head went flying backwards, and his body followed.

"I thought you were nice and loving! I know now how wrong I was! Brendan, you have betrayed my trust and there's nothing to say that will make me forgive you!"

He stood up and saw that a crowd was beginning to cheer and applaud the fuming woman.

"You have two hours to go and get everything of yours,_ including you_, out of my apartment!"

Brendan began to walk up to her with his arms outstretched, but she glared at him and his arms fell to his sides. It was the end of their relationship and everyone knew it. As the crowd dispersed, and Brendan's sliver hair disappeared from her view, she sank to her knees and the tears spilled out. Even though her heart never really belonged to him, it hurt her so much to know she was tricked. May had been used and made a fool of, and at that moment all she wanted was to be in the arms of the one person she loved.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! Ash and Misty came back for guest appearances! lol xP OH! And for those of you who read _Finally I've Fallen_, you must have seen that little tie in I did when Misty was talking with May ;D if not... it's another fic I wrote a couple of months ago, and it was how Misty and Ash got together :) If you haven't read it... I suggest you go do that! Thanks everyone for reading! Two more chapters left! It's coming to an end, yes it is lol :D 


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Okay… after this, one more chapter! The weather lately was my inspiration for this chapter xD It's always changing… _always changing_…

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The wind rolled the grass like a blanket onto a bed. The thin blades tickled their skin as Bella and Drew sat down near the overgrown tree. A soft shade fell onto Bella's face and she seemed aged, which made it even harder for Drew to start speaking. Distant echoes of children playing haunted their thoughts, giving the moment extra tension for some reason, possibly because it made Drew think about May and because Bella knew he was. It was like a dagger had been pushed into her heart, but it had all started when she saw Drew in the shop with May that first day. When Drew came home from the wedding, she saw a change in him and she didn't know what it was. He would always seem like he was far away. He didn't pay attention to her like he used to and when she saw him with May, it all made sense. The dagger seethed itself deep down inside, but she was strong and in denial. She would wait it out, and try to forget about the bottomless pain inside of her. It had worked, but it was the time of all those years that had pushed the dagger in as deep as it could go.

Drew wouldn't look at her face; instead he looked out towards the bridge in the distance. Memories came flooding back, how horrified he was to see the gleaming of that knife, how relieved he was to see that she was safe, and most of all, how wonderful he felt having her in his arms. More than ever, he knew that his heart could no longer live in the double life he was leading. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his head up and looked at his girlfriend.

"Bella…what did you hear when I was talking with Ash?"

She seemed to be quiet for a minute and then her lips parted and her mouth moved.

"I didn't… hear anything except that you were talking about her…"

Drew knew who she was talking about, there was no need to mention May's name.

"I have to tell you something Bella…"

Suddenly, she put a hand on his arm and smiled gently. It was the first true smile that he had seen graced her face, and for an instant, it felt like he was meeting her for the first time. Bella shook her head and spoke for him.

"You don't have to say anything Drew."

The dagger was cutting itself deeper as the two of them spoke. If he were to say the words she didn't want to hear, it might kill her. She had given up on Brendan the instant she thought of Drew yesterday, and she had still thought there was hope for their relationship. Now Bella knew that she had to end it.

"I don't?"

Drew was confused, but on Bella's face was an expression of forgiveness and acceptance. He had no clue why she was suddenly so mature, and it intrigued him to know why.

"No you don't Drew. I know that during this past week, circumstances have changed and we've begun to drift apart… maybe it's best we…"

She stopped talking all of a sudden, her heartbeat flickering in her chest. Bella's mouth hung open and she grabbed Drew's arm tightly. Panic dazed his eyes and he sat up alert.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

Her eyes closed and she steadied her breath. She tried to think of happy thoughts, like those ducks in the pond. Bella opened her eyes slowly and saw the deep concern in Drew's emerald orbs. Her smile widened as she realized it wasn't loving concern in his eyes; he was worried for her because it was a basic human emotion.

"Drew, I'm sorry, but I don't think we should see each other anymore."

He felt her grip on his arm loosen, and her hand fell into her lap. Drew was dumbstruck and was completely surprised by her statement. His mouth hung open, and his eyes bulged. Bella kept smiling, and she felt renewed. The dagger in her heart no longer bore its painful presence. She was finally free from the agony she had been living with.

"But why?"

"I don't need to say anything Drew, you know that. We are two very different people, and we just don't fit together well. Your puzzle piece and my puzzle piece don't belong to the same puzzle."

His mind raced to try and figure out who he was talking with. Was it really Bella that had broken up their relationship? Did he even say two words mentioning his feelings for May? It left Drew dumbfounded; her intelligence had skyrocketed and suddenly he felt her fingers on his chin. Her gentle push forced him to close his gaping mouth and then she helped him stand up.

"So this is it? We're over?"

"Yes," Bella said with a sigh of relief, "you're better off with someone else. Let's go and I'll get my stuff out of your apartment."

"But where will you go?"

She stopped suddenly and then laughed carelessly.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it to you then. The contest gave me a paycheck even though I quit, and it's good enough to get me my own apartment."

"Okay then… as long as you have somewhere to go."

The two of them exited the park quickly, the sun setting sooner than expected. Masses of puffy gray clouds came into view, as the wind picked them along its trail. The trees swayed violently and everyone started to go home. May didn't care though, and she made her way to her safe haven anyways. She reached the empty park only minutes after Drew and Bella had left. May looked around expectantly; for the past couple of days, Drew had been thinking along the same lines as she had, so they ended up in the same places.

No one was there and sadly, May found herself alone at the bridge. The water beneath her sped away in numerous ripples, and inside she fought herself to plunge into the stream and see if it would carry her away from all of the heartache she faced. It seemed like her life was going in the wrong direction. Brendan had made a fool of her, and it would be impossible for Drew to break up with Bella, so it seemed like she was all alone with no one to go to. Tears ran down her face once again, and this time they burned her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and decided that there was no point to stay where she was. The rushing sound of the water called to her, and in her mind she envisioned a place where she could live in pure joy. As she started to climb the railing, a loud crack of thunder boomed above her head and it rippled towards her. May fell off of the railing and onto the bridge. She yelled out in pain as her tailbone made the impact with the solid ground under her. Her tears stopped and she blinked as tiny drops of water started to dot her face. Another loud boom of thunder resounded all around her and then the shower of rain pelted down onto her face. She sat there until the storm eased up. Her clothes were soaked and she closed her eyes, taking in the breath of fresh misty air.

May laughed then, as the setting sun appeared from a hole in the sea of clouds. As she stood up, miniscule rivers of water swept down from the ends of her hair, all the way down her body. The pain had washed away, and the warmth of the sun's rays gave her a renewed sensation of life. Leaving the park, she thanked it for taking care of her. When she came home, she saw that all of Brendan's stuff was gone and for the first time in a long while, it seemed like her apartment was more occupied and it seemed to glow, but that could have been because the sun playfully cast its orange and yellow colors through the windows.

..:-:..

It didn't take long to take all of Bella's belongings and move them into an apartment a few blocks away. The owner was desperate for some rent money and when Bella showed up at his doorstep, he gladly took her in at that moment. She gave one last hug to Drew and then she waved a happy good bye. As Drew walked home, the sound of cars rushing by on the wet streets filled him with a reflective sadness. After that afternoon had ended, all he wanted to do was feel May's warmth beside him. But he couldn't do that because she was most likely still with Brendan. As he unlocked his apartment, he could tell there was a difference in its smell. Near his bedroom, he saw that a window was open and then he smiled. The clean air after a storm was his favorite smell in the world, that of course next to the creamy nutmeg scent of May's hair.

He pulled back the covers. May slipped into her bed after taking a warm, relaxing bath. Drew murmured his love's name, and she shivered and wished that he would be next to her. In two different places, at the same time, two people wanted the comfort of knowing they were next to each other. But that wish wasn't fulfilled and each had slept restlessly, dreaming of the other's touch, the other's presence, and most of all, knowing that they could love each other openly.

..:-:..

Drew woke up late, and he muttered to himself. Slowly he got out of bed and did the usual routine. Once he was at the ice cream stand, he stood and put his hat on with a sigh. His boss came around later towards noon and seemed a bit confused.

"Good afternoon… looks like we've got a good crowd today."

He was right, after the storm blew over, there was a cloudless sky and the winds died down and were barely noticeable. Drew shrugged his shoulders and answered lifelessly.

"I guess."

The boss went around and stood next to him, putting a hand on Drew's shoulder.

"My boy, if there's something troubling you, you should go do something about it. Standing around waiting for a change isn't going to help anything."

Something kindled in Drew's eyes and he looked up at the old man with a smile.

"You're right. I should be optimistic… I guess I can try…"

"That's a good chap! Now, start selling those cones and I might let you go on your break early."

The boss gave him a wink and Drew managed to smile slightly. He was a kind man, but sometimes you couldn't tell what he was really up to.

..:-:..

The morning hadn't gone much better for May, although she was in better spirits. Hopril came out of her poke ball and walked besides May while going to the day care. A few new people had come in and she was at once buried under huge amounts of work. There were five new pokemon that she had to meet and begin to take care for. All of the meals had to be made especially for each type of pokemon and she had to walk around every so often to make sure everyone was getting along with each other. The time seemed to pass by and since she was so preoccupied with her job, thoughts of Brendan didn't even come into her mind at all. As she sat down near the waterfall in the "bluehouse", she laid back and closed her eyes, shutting out everything but the lulling sound of the water. Suddenly she felt the grass near her rustle and her eyes shot open. Her heart leapt up inside of her chest when she saw him sitting right next to her.

"Drew! What are you doing here?"

His eyes turned towards her and he smirked.

"Not happy to see me May? That's disappointing to hear…maybe I should go find someone who _wants_ to see me…"

He began to prop himself on his elbows but May put a hand on his chest as a smile tugged at her lips. She hadn't seen him for an entire day and now that he was right next to her, she couldn't have been happier. His green eyes drew her in and she rested her head six inches above his so that her hair fell down onto his face loosely.

"Of course I'm happy to see you… I just didn't think _you_ would be the person who I heard sit down next to me…"

May pushed off of him and stood up. Drew snickered as he got up from the grass himself. Only trees, plants and the serene waterfall surrounded them; no one was there to interrupt. Somehow, there was no awkward tension between them, considering all of the troubles they had to go through. Drew saw a cheerful smile on her face, and there seemed to be no underlying sadness. He took a step closer to her and she turned her head towards the water.

"Are you still… with Bella?"

She turned back towards him and he smiled broadly.

"No, I'm not."

Her mouth hung open. It was clear that it was shocking news.

"Seriously? Did she cry? Oh I bet her feelings were hurt…"

Drew put a hand on her shoulder and then put her face in both of his hands.

"Calm down May. _She_ broke up with _me_."

Her eyes widened and then narrowed.

"How come? I thought she adored you!"

"She said that she could tell we were drifting apart and that I shouldn't be with her anymore."

May's morale was lifted generously and she smiled with a sigh.

"I broke up with Brendan."

Drew cocked his eyebrow and laughed.

"Oh yeah? How did you pull _that_ off?"

Her happy grin diminished and disappeared all within itself. She turned away from him and Drew became quiet.

"May?"

After a long silence and a deep breath, she turned around to him and bowed her head.

"I didn't care about his feelings; he hurt mine more than I could have imagined."

Drew stepped up to her and put his arms around her shoulder. He whispered and bowed his head too.

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing Drew. Can we just put it in the past?"

He nodded and sighed.

"If that's what you want."

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, they looked into each others eyes and Drew pulled her into his arms. She gave up her will when his arms wrapped around her. May was lost within his warmth, and the cool rushing waterfall near them made things seem like it was a dream. He stroked her hair gently and rubbed her back soothingly. Time stood still as she gazed up to him and he looked down into her deep blue eyes. Drew's fingers grazed her cheek and then her lips, and as he leaned towards her, instinct took over. Their kiss sparked the flames in their hearts and nothing could be done about it. May's hands slid around his neck as he pulled her in even closer by her arcing back. It was only moments before a loud crash disturbed them.

..:-:..

Bella set her goals straightaway; she was going to go find Brendan. After seeing how horrible her last relationship went, and after feeling that burning in her face as Brendan kissed her hand, she knew she had to go follow her heart. A fresh start was always a good thing, right?

In the brief moments that they had been together, he had said that he always works out at the gym, which she thought to be extremely provocative because she liked a strong man to be near her. So that is where she was headed. Fully dressed in the cutest workout outfit she could find, the sun shining down on her, Bella walked into the gym. But just shortly afterwards, she saw a bunch of girls and walked up to them. It seemed however, that they were arguing bitterly instead of chatting giddily.

"Hi girls!"

The silence was instant and each head turned towards Bella. She waved shyly and then one of the girls snorted.

"She must be new here."

"Yeah, look at the way she is dressed."

Bella was confused and didn't understand what they meant.

"I'm sorry if I'm dressed this way, and yes, it's my first time here, but that doesn't give you the right to criticize me."

Brendan had come out of his workout room and saw the group of girls as usual. He knew it was hopeless now, his reputation was ruined and no girl would want to actually consider going out with him. But then he saw a new girl with her back turned towards him. She was wearing a light blue workout suit and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"We aren't criticizing you, we just want to warn you."

Many of the girls nodded and then she looked at them questionably.

"Warn me about what?"

Brendan began to walk towards the woman and then he saw the group pointing at him. He put on his biggest smile but stopped dead in his tracks when she turned around. Instead of a greeting smile, she was fuming and pointed a finger at him. His smile turned into a circular gape.

"Don't even think about trying to use your suave words on me Brendan!"

She turned around and ran out of the gym. The girls had told her everything, how he had tried to _compliment_ them while they were working out, how he had done that even though he was May's boyfriend, and then how she dumped him right after she found out herself. Brendan ran out right after her and she stopped.

"Wait!"

"What do you want Brendan?"

Her cruel gaze killed him on the inside. Even though she was fuming, she still looked utterly gorgeous.

"Please give me another chance! I swear to you I'm a changed man!"

"No way Brendan. Your looks aren't going to persuade me, and neither are your useless words."

He ran out to her but she put a hand to his forehead and pushed him away.

"I said what I have said. Leave me alone now."

Brendan stood there, the second day in a row, dumped by a girl. He watched her ponytail swish from side to side as she disappeared from his view.

..:-:..

May pulled away from Drew with a gaze that disappointed him. She wasn't completely excited; instead her eyes showed him that she still wasn't sure about what they were doing. The two of them ran towards the sound of the crash and they didn't have to go too far. Outside of the two houses, Mr. Maguchi stood near a pile of spread out food. He had his hands up to his head and he screamed.

"A months supply of food, ruined!"

Drew took out his poke ball immediately and Roselia came out of it twirling. He nodded to his pokemon and at once she spun around, sending a soft pink dust on the food. May and her boss watched with wide eyes as the food regained its natural color and was cleaned off by the magical pink dust. At once the three of them started to pile the food back into its bags and they were done very quickly. Mr. Maguchi smiled and shook Drew's hands vigorously.

"Thank you so much young man! I owe you a favor, just ask me and I'll do it!"

"It's okay, really it's not that big of a deal."

The boss walked away and then Drew turned around to see May playing with Roselia. Her warm smile filled him with incredible happiness and he walked over to the pair. Suddenly, as May realized he was coming closer, her smile vanished and she stood up. Drew recalled Roselia and then looked up at May's distraught face.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you happy? … Do you not want to be with me?"

She put a hand on his arm and he was instantly reminded of the talk he had with Bella just yesterday.

"No… I do… I want to be with you more than you can imagine but… I just need time to sort things out a bit. I've been on this huge emotional roller coaster, and I don't think I'm ready just yet to forget everything as if it never happened. Do you understand?"

Drew looked down and his hair covered his eyes.

"How long?"

"I'm not sure…please Drew, don't be upset with me…"

How could he not be upset? He had waited so long to finally be with her, freely, to just be happy for once. She was amazing and now she was telling him to back off. That kiss had deepened all of his feelings towards her, and now he wasn't sure if he could just handle being kicked to the curb.

"I'm not upset…" he looked up at her and smiled slowly, "if that's what you want, I'll wait."

She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and smiled.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the phone rang inside of the main house. The two of them went inside and May picked it up.

"This is the Daycare Center, how may I help you?"

Drew stared at her, trying to take in all of the beautiful lines of her face. Her ecstatic personality, which she had while answering the phone, was gone though, and she handed Drew the phone, sympathy in her eyes.

"It's for you Drew… Bella needs to tell you something…"

He took the phone awkwardly as if he was holding a pair of ballet slippers. It was foreign and he had no idea why he was going to talk to his ex-girlfriend so soon.

"Bella?"

"Drew…I'm so sorry but… I went back to your place because I forgot something, and I picked up the phone because it rang, and then it was the hospital in Mahogany Town. It's your mom Drew… she's suffered a heart attack and is paralyzed… I'm so sorry…the doctors say they need you to come and work things out."

He gave the phone back to May and she nodded and said a few words that he couldn't hear. His body and mind were numb. His mother was paralyzed and she could have died. Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands grip his shoulders and shake him out of his blank state of mind.

"Drew?"

He didn't care whether she liked it or not; Drew pulled May into him fiercely and kissed her forehead. She pulled away puzzled.

"What was that for?"

He took a deep breath of air and made his way towards the door.

"Drew!"

Her eyes scanned his face as he turned around and somehow there was a smile on it.

"I have to go see my mom. I don't know how long it will take, but I'll be back for you. Please wait for me, and I promise to come back to you. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded and whispered, barely finding her voice, the tears starting to form in her eyes. When she had said that she needed a break, she didn't mean for him to disappear right away. She still intended on seeing him and spending time with him, but now that wasn't possible. He was going to go away and she had no idea when he would be back. But her heart knew that deep down inside, she would do anything for him.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

And with one last smile, his green hair disappeared from her view.

* * *

**A/N:** Sigh… why isn't this happy yet? (Monika gets pummeled by everyone) yes, I'm sorry! It's so sad, and my penname is _Sweet_Stories11… but one chapter is left… and of course I'm not going to_ kill_ anybody :) I hope you liked this chapter! I was originally going to make it Bella/Brendan, happy ever after, but thanks to a reviewer (Kat ;D) I decided to change my mind. It didn't seem right for those two to just be together like that… so I'll just let Brendan chase after her aimlessly ;D as for Drew… when shall he return? Dun dun dunnnn! Lol Thanks so much for reading! I'll probably update within two or three days :)

-Monika-


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

The crisp autumn air blew through the window in May's apartment. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee a few inches away from the stack of envelopes. Steam rose up slowly and the warm scent of coffee beans filled the kitchen. May took the first envelope into her hands and stared at the cover. It had already been an entire year and just a bit more since she had last seen Drew. The first few weeks had been excruciating for her. She had not heard from him at all and she had begun to think that he had forgotten about their promise. But when the first letter came, all of the depressing thoughts ran away and a wide smile swept her face. It had been a cool autumn day and she was standing near the waterfall where they had shared their last kiss. Mr. Maguchi came to her with a warm grin on his face. Her fingers traced over the sharp edges, and when she turned it over, she saw his name and address on the back. A lump gathered in her throat and her vision became blurry as she ripped the envelope open. She wiped away the tears and began to read.

_Dear May, _

_ I know it has been over a month, and I'm so sorry for not getting this to you sooner. This might seem stupid of me, and I guess I deserve to be called stupid, but I had not written down your address before I left. My mind raced to figure out a way to reach you, but I didn't have a way to do so. It was just recently when I realized you most likely would be still working at the Daycare Center, and so I'm hoping this letter has reached you there. It was the only way I could write and tell you that my mother is fine, but still paralyzed. The heart attack was very sudden and it was almost fatal, but she is in good health now, except for the one horrible condition she is in. _

_ Since I don't have any other family members I can turn to for help, I will have to stay and take care of my mother. The journey here wasn't too bad, I got to see a lot of new Pokemon. My mother told me stories of new discoveries since I've left the Johto region. It's inspired me and I think once I'm done taking care of my mother, I will start competing in contests again. I miss you a lot May, please don't think I forgot about you or anything like that. Hopefully the doctors will find a cure soon and I will be able to return. _

_Love, Drew._

She wrapped her arms around her warm sweater and sighed happily. When she read his letters, it was like she could hear his deep strong voice saying each word. It filled her with loving warmth and she smiled remembering what happened next. After reading the first letter, she ran back to the main house of the daycare and started to write her own letter.

Drew had departed from May with a torn heart. He knew he had to go take care of his mother, but he desperately wanted to be with the woman he loved. Each day on the journey to Johto he had thought of nothing but her. The touch of May's soft hair still tingled in his fingertips and his lips still held the warmth of hers. His mother was overjoyed when he finally found his way to Mahogany Town. Once Drew saw how weak she was, he started to take care of her right away. His days were busy and each night he went to bed exhausted, but he knew he was where he belonged, for the time being. It was almost a month later when he figured out a way to reach May. Drew wrote the letter late one night when he had put his mother to bed. In a few days time, he received the response and he was thrilled to see her curvy handwriting on the envelope.

_Dear Drew, _

_ You have no idea how much I've missed you! I wish I could be with you right now. Once you left, my miserable emotions left and all I could do was think about you. But I'm being selfish to tell you that I want you to come back right now. I want to tell you how sorry I am. Everything that happened was so sudden and full of trouble, and the time we spent together wasn't really that much time at all. I go to the park everyday, don't worry, I don't stay late. My favorite spot of course is the bridge. I watch the water flow, and nowadays, I make believe that I have wings and that I can fly away to Johto and see you. Yes I know, I'm silly because of course I can't grow wings, but it's nice to dream. _

_ I hope your mother is feeling better. Tell her that I hope she gets well soon! Of course though, I hope you are doing all right too. It must be such hard work looking after your mother. Don't stress yourself out too much, oh and make sure to eat healthy too! I don't want you to come back thin as a stick! Wait, did you mean that you would go off on another adventure after you were done helping your mother? I miss you so much Drew. I hope that's not what you meant. Okay, I have to go, dinner is ready. _

_Much love, May._

He combed his hand through his hair and his bangs fell loosely onto his forehead. A happy grin spread across his face; he could picture May's enthusiasm the whole time he was reading the letter. At once, he stopped what he was doing and wrote a response.

The two of them did this for an extensive amount of time. Each day, they would come home anxiously to see if there was a response from their latest letter. On the days that there wasn't any mail in the box, May and Drew would each sigh and then move on to their every day tasks. May's thoughts drifted through all of those lonely days and then she picked up another letter from the pile. She smiled as she read on.

_Dear May, _

_ It's been so long since I saw you last, but I can still see your face when I close my eyes. My mom says that I've been looking a bit paler than usual, but I think she's just hallucinating because of all the drugs she's taking, so don't worry about me! I mean it. I don't want you worrying your little head about me, I'm fine and each day it looks like my mother is doing better too. The air here is really wonderful because the town is right near the mountains, but I keep thinking about that park you love so much. _

_ Maybe it's because I'm thinking too much, I don't know why, but the other night I had this strange dream. I was taking care of my mother as usual, but then for some weird reason, when I went near her, all of her hair started to stand on top of her head and her eyes began to glow like a car light! I ran out of the room in my dream, and then I woke up screaming. Somehow I had fallen asleep in the chair next to my mother's bed, and when I told her what happened, she told me that I must be exhausted after taking care of her so much. There's no way that is true, but she then said, why else would I have a dream of her turning into a hideous monster? I laughed and said the dream had reminded me of Medusa, do you know about that myth? Anyways, maybe I shouldn't have said anything about that, now you'll definitely be worried about me. Please don't be though! I'm doing just fine. I'll see you in my dreams. _

_Love, Drew._

The last line made her smile the most. He was so easy to talk to and he told her everything, even about his nightmares. The same thing went for Drew. May's letters helped him get through the days as they passed by slowly. Winter had come and gone and the new buds on the trees were beginning to show. Birds were chirping the day he got the letter from May.

_Drew Drew, _

_ You won't believe it! I didn't believe it either until I saw the proof myself. Misty and Ash have come back to town, and I thought they were just visiting. Then I realized that Misty seemed to be a bit… bigger. That's when they dropped the bomb on me and told me they were looking for a house because of a new addition to their family! Drew, Ash and Misty are going to have a baby! I'm so excited to see it when he or she comes into the world! Misty says she doesn't want to know what it will be, but I know that Ash really hopes it is a boy. Pikachu has already started to help with the decorations of the baby room, and I must admit that there is a lot more yellow than either pink or blue. _

_ It's already springtime, and I haven't seen you. Even though we write to each other all the time, it just seems like you're not really there. It's as if you're gone forever. Drew, will you ever come back? I don't think I can go on like this any longer. I miss you so much… is there any way you can come back, just for a visit even? _

_Yours truly, May._

As he read it through, his thoughts buzzed with excitement at the news of Misty's pregnancy, he knew it wouldn't have been long until it happened. But the ending of May's letter left him heartbroken, and he didn't have the courage to write a response. His mother hadn't gotten better and he was swamped with his work outside of caring for his mother. Drew was saving some money but it wasn't enough yet. Time had passed and summer came along again. The warm breeze rustled May's skirt as she paid a visit to the Ketchum residence. Drew's letters were becoming less abundant but May was becoming more preoccupied. She had to work two jobs; she still worked at the daycare, but then afterwards she would go and help Misty with baby planning. Occasionally, she would walk around town and bits and pieces of memories would flash through her mind. A frown would be spotted on her face as she walked home and no one really knew why that was.

She had read each and every letter in the pile and May finally felt a bit better. Drew still cared about her, it was just that it was so hard to live without him near her. A chilly breeze swept into her apartment, and she stood up to close the window. When she walked over to it, she stood for a moment or two observing the sky. Night had set at last and dark hues of blue and purple spread through the vast atmosphere. She sighed and closed the window, then making her way back to the kitchen. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and she titled her head curiously.

May opened the door and she took a step back in surprise. The mailman was standing before her and he had a happy grin on his face.

"Hello, I wasn't expecting you to be here so late. Is there a problem?"

"Oh, no problem Miss. I was just looking through my mailbag and then I spotted a letter for you all the way at the bottom. I'm so sorry that I didn't get this to you earlier! I thought you might want it as soon as possible."

She took the envelope from him delicately and then when she saw the familiar handwriting on the front, May jumped up and hugged him.

"Thank you so much for coming back! I appreciate it so much! I was waiting for this letter all week long!"

He kept smiling as he stood back and nodded.

"I thought you might be. Goodnight Miss."

May closed the door shut and after she turned the lock, she ran to the kitchen and sat down. She took the scissors and opened the envelope quickly. The paper was folded into three sections as usual and she pressed the letter out on the table.

_Dear May, _

_ I'll start off and tell you the bad part first. The bad part is that my mother is more ill than before and it seems as if she will never come out of her state of paralysis. I don't think I'll be able to come back._

Her mouth hung loose and tears started to form in her eyes. She put a hand to her chest as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. May stood up and went over to the counter, placing her hands on top of it. Her head bowed over and she let out a frustrated sob. How could he do this to her? All she wanted was a small visit. It had been over a year since she had seen him, and now he was telling her that she wouldn't see him ever again? The tears ducts shut close and May blinked a few times before a thought occurred to her. She made her way back to the kitchen table and looked at the letter again.

_I'm guessing you really thought I was telling you the truth and you walked away or something. Just to let you know I'm laughing right now, because I'm imagining how you would look like if you were fuming angry. Okay, okay, I'll tell you what really happened. The doctors began to give my mother new medication and last week a miracle happened. She began to regain motion in the left side of her body. Today, I almost cried, because when I woke up, my mother was standing over me smiling. It was the most amazing sight, seeing my mother so happy. _

May's eyes twinkled with delight and a joyous grin spread across her face. She really felt like she was flying. After more than a year of paralysis, Drew's mother had been cured.

_The first thing she said to me was, you are free to go. I was confused, maybe because I had just woken up, but she said to me that she no longer wanted to see me so depressed and pale. I refused to leave her because it was her first day by herself, but she put something into the palm of my hand, and when I looked down, I saw that it was a ticket back home. May, I'm finally coming back. _

_See you soon, Drew. _

She jumped up in a fit of joy and no words could describe how elated she was at that moment. It was a couple of hours later, after she had read the letter about maybe a hundred times, that she went to bed. Her head swam with thoughts of his return, and she was so excited that she couldn't fall asleep. When would he come back? Would it be tomorrow? What should she wear? What if he had found someone else back in Mahogany Town and he was just coming back to break up with her in person? No, it was just all the anxiety building up and she began to think ridiculous thoughts. Suddenly, her world went silent and she fell asleep.

..:-:..

It was Saturday, and she didn't have to go to work. May put on her lavender sweater and long jeans. She looked around her apartment and then spotted her beige corduroy jacket and her tan shawl. Wrapped up in warm clothes, she made her way outside. It was nearing noon and the different colored leaves fell down to the ground slowly. They crunched underneath her feet as she walked to Misty's house. Once she reached her destination, she stepped inside and saw that she was in the kitchen. Misty saw her best friend come through the door and she smiled cheerfully. She was now in her eighth month of pregnancy and her stomach was very round.

"Misty, you won't believe the news I got yesterday!"

May sat down across from Misty and smiled excitedly.

"What was it?"

"I got a letter from Drew, and he wrote that he is finally coming back! Misty, I'm so happy!"

"He's coming back? Oh, this is so exciting! I'm so thrilled for you May. I know this past year has been very hard on you, but he's coming back!"

She took May's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I know! But the thing is… what if he doesn't like me anymore? His letters have lately seemed very distant, almost as if he didn't care."

"May, don't be silly! Drew still loves you, I just know it. Don't doubt yourself so easily!"

Just then the black-headed man came downstairs while yawning and stretching his arms out. May laughed a little and Misty turned around and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Good morning sunshine. Looks like you woke up early today."

Ash scratched his stomach and smiled.

"Yeah, and I sure am hungry! What's there to eat?"

May watched as Misty got up and served breakfast to her husband. The two of them were so happy together and it made her heart fill with warmth. She stayed there for most of the afternoon, tiding up the baby room and picking out baby clothes. They were still unaware of the gender of their forthcoming child, so they remained neutral with the decisions. It was late in the afternoon when May finally left.

She made her way back home in less of a rush, taking a detour through the park. Most of the children were bundled up in layers of clothing and their mothers were scolding them for taking off their jackets. May smiled as she made her way towards the bridge. Piles of dead leaves were scattered everywhere and once in a while she would go up to a pile and take a bunch of leaves in her hands. Following the example of most of the children around her, she threw the pile up into the air and watched as the red, orange and brown leaves fell onto her head. She laughed out loud, not caring one bit if the others looked at her with confusion. It wasn't common for a grown woman twenty-one years of age to be acting like a five-year-old child.

The sun was beginning to set by the time she made her way to the flowing stream of water and her beloved bridge. It was the only place where she could feel true happiness, especially after the moment she had shared her first kiss with Drew. When she walked to the middle of the bridge and looked down to the stream, she stood still and was at a loss for words. On the railing was the most beautiful red rose that she had ever seen. Her awed expression stayed with her as she picked up the flower delicately. Suddenly, her thoughts came to the conclusion that someone must have put the flower there purposely. Someone had to know that she liked roses and someone must have known she would be there. May raised the flower to her face slowly, and then closed her eyes as she took in the scent. As soon as she did that, her eyes opened instantly, and the rose fell out of her hands, into the slippery water. May turned around and her eyes widened. She was completely speechless as she stared into the pair of memorable green eyes.

"Drew?"

Her voice cracked but her mouth broke into a smile as did his.

"Drew! It's really you!"

She jumped and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Tears came flowing from the back of her eyes as she took in the comforting smell of roses his jacket protruded. Drew pulled her as close to him as he possibly could and caressed her hair lovingly. He became intoxicated in the heavenly scent of creamy vanilla and he took a deep intake of air before he pulled away from her slightly. May looked into his eyes again as she felt his hands cup her face. Their hearts began to beat faster and each felt like new life had been presented to the other.

"I've missed you so much May…"

His voice was barely a whisper and she blinked slowly, trying to push away the tears.

"I've missed you too…"

Drew pulled her face into his and the crushing impact of their kiss was like nothing either had experienced. She ran her fingers through his hair and then cupped the back of his neck as he held onto her with all of his strength. They were gasping for air by the time they finished their fierce and passionate kiss. May's lips still tingled as she felt his lips brush away. Her eyes opened slowly and then when she gazed into his, she laughed softly. He smiled and then put his forehead to hers. She was completely buried in bliss and she wished the moment would never end. A year had passed and their love had only become stronger than before. They didn't say a word to each other; after not seeing each other for so many days, and after not feeling the warmth of the others presence, all they wanted to do was suck everything in to make it feel like it really had happened.

Drew kissed her again, but this time he kissed her lips gently and she whimpered slightly. He pulled away and each of them smiled brightly. The sky above them was filled with pink and orange hues, the sun casting its warm glow on the romantic reunion.

"I love you May, more than you can ever possibly know."

Drew brushed his fingers across her cheek and she smiled as a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"I was so worried you had moved on… I loved you then Drew, and I love you even more now."

He took his hand in hers and then took something out of his pocket. She gazed down into the palm of her hand and she saw a little red box placed in it. May gasped a little and Drew smiled handsomely. She opened it, her hands trembling. Inside was a stunning crystal ring. Drew picked the ring from the box and then placed it on her finger. His fingers interlaced with hers and he pulled her in closely, his voice whispering into her ear.

"Please say you will be mine forever…"

May buried her head in his neck as she hugged him fiercely.

"Of course Drew… I would want nothing more than to be with you forever."

She laughed softly again and kissed him once more. He twirled her around in his arms while they were on the bridge, and an old lady nearby put a hand on her heart and sighed happily.

..:-:..

Spring had come again, and the cold harsh winter was gone. The Ketchum pair had given birth to a healthy baby girl. When Ash received news that he had a daughter, surprisingly, tears sprang into his eyes. All it took was one look into her little blue eyes and he saw his wife in them. At that moment, everything inside of him changed and he knew that he would protect his baby girl with his entire heart. Misty was thrilled at the prospect of having a girl, it was what she had wanted all along. Drew and May both came to the hospital that one wintry day sometime ago, and sat down with the new parents.

"She's so adorable! Are you glad it's over?" May asked jokingly to a sweaty, but cheerful Misty.

"Oh yes, but the joy I feel now is so immense that I have no recollection of the pain I just endured."

They all laughed and then Ash came into the room. Drew was the first to notice his blotchy nose and red eyes.

"Hey Ketchum, what's wrong? Do you have a bad case of allergies?"

Ash sniffed his nose and then smiled.

"Yeah… something like that."

May and Drew watched on as Ash came and sat down by Misty. She cradled her daughter in her arms and hummed a sweet lullaby.

"What are you going to name her?"

Misty looked up at her husband and then smiled.

"Her name is going to be Rose."

May squealed like a little girl and nodded.

"That's the perfect name. I like it especially."

She looked at Drew and they both smiled as his arm found its way around her waist. Ash and Misty looked at them with confusion and then May laughed.

"Drew and I have decided when we are to get married."

Ash cocked his head and laughed.

"So you two are finally going to tie the knot then! When is the big day?"

"It will be in late spring, right before summer starts."

The group sat around discussing subjects such as the forthcoming wedding and the new baby. Suddenly, Rose yawned and curled up to her mother. They watched in silence as the new child slept peacefully in Misty's arms.

..:-:..

The day of the wedding had finally come. Both May and Drew had no problem deciding where it was to be held. The bridge was decorated with pure white streamers and they were tied to bunches of freshly picked white tulips. Her hair was pulled up into a sleek bun, with some hairs falling down. She took a few deep breaths and then smoothed out the dress she had on. Drew would be waiting on the top of the bridge and it was finally time.

The music started to play and May smiled. With each step she took, she felt more confident about what she was doing. Her mother and brother were sitting in the crowd, both of their faces bursting with smiles. She looked up to her father's happy face and intertwined her arm in his. As she began her way up the bridge, Drew awaited her arrival anxiously. His stomach twisted into a hundred knots, but then when he saw her, all of the tension went away and his jaw dropped. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her sleek silver dress fell down to the ground and it fitted her perfectly. May's shoulders were bare and he could see that she was trembling somewhat. He smiled broadly and when she finally reached him, he took her hand in his and all of her jitters floated away. They turned towards the priest and the ceremony began.

It wasn't long before the end of the wedding. Misty and Ash stood together, arm in arm next to a stroller with a little baby girl inside of it. May turned to the green haired man and smiled as she said,_ "I do"_. He slipped the ring on her finger and then he stared into her blue eyes and without hesitation, he replied as well with another, _"I do_". The priest recognized the man and the woman as husband and wife. Drew and May wasted no time before their lips touched and their arms wrapped around each other. She pulled away giggling as Drew whispered something in her ear. May looked for her bouquet of red roses and then tossed it over her shoulder. Unexpectedly, Bella had caught it. Both May and Drew smiled when they saw her shocked expression. They made their way down the other end of the bridge and the music echoed throughout the park.

Bella stood there bewildered. When she had accepted the invitation to the wedding, she had no idea that she'd be the one to get the bride's bouquet. The legend seemed to come true, because May had caught the bouquet at Misty's wedding, as she had heard. Suddenly, she heard an all too familiar, very annoying voice calling out her name.

"Bella! Bella, please wait!"

She threw the bouquet at the river with frustration and then began to walk away.

"Get away Brendan! How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like you in any kind of way?"

He ran after her and the crowd laughed and jeered.

"But I love you Bella, I really do!"

Both Drew and May turned around when they heard the angry yell near the crowd. Each of them looked at their old partners with a smile and then May turned to her new husband with a sinister smile. She loosened his tie and then playfully brushed his neck with her fingers.

"What if I told you that we could get out of here, and no one would know where we were?"

May kissed him dearly and he looked at her with a smirk.

"I think I'd like that."

Ash and Misty had finally put Rose back to sleep. Just after the wedding, she had begun to stir and she would not stop crying. They began to stroll along the other side of the bridge, where they had believed Drew and May would be, but unfortunately, the newlyweds were nowhere to be found.

"Where do you think they went Ash?"

"I have no idea."

They began to walk through the park, when suddenly they heard a giggling noise coming from behind a wall of bushes and thick trees. Misty looked at Ash with an acknowledging smile and they walked away without bothering the bride and the groom. The sun began to set, and the stars came out to dot the sky with their brilliant lights. It was the perfect ending to their love story, and a perfect beginning to a hopefully long happy life together.

**THE END.**

* * *

**A/N:** (wipes away tear) I can't believe it's the end! It took me so long to finish this last chapter because I didn't want to finish it because I knew it was the end lol :) I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! It's truly an honor to know that you like to read my stories and I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart! ;D You're the inspiration that keeps me going, and I will miss hearing all of your wonderful reviews! Is there a new pokemon story I have in mind? Sadly, no. But will I get an idea sooner or later, definitely.

Since I'm done with this, I plan to start a Yukiru fic for those of you who like Fruits Basket. I'm not sure when that will be up though because I have still to work out most of the plot lol :D Okay then, this is it. My last a/n for this fic! Until next time:D

-Monika-


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